


Link's Journal

by notproperlykoalified



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Adventure, Angst with a Happy Ending, Brigo is the best NPC, Complete, Diary/Journal, F/M, Gen, Humor, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-05-28 19:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15056003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notproperlykoalified/pseuds/notproperlykoalified
Summary: Day 1I’ve had a bit of a rough day. I don’t remember who I am, a girl keeps talking in my head, I’m supposed to slay Calamity Ganon, a blue bokoblin nearly beat me to death with a stick, and the old man still won’t give me his paraglider.But, well, I’m still here, breathing and thinking and eating baked apples, so it could be worse. The old man (who is annoyingly enigmatic – I don’t know who I am, the least you could do is tell me who you are) showed me how to write in the Sheikah Slate. I want to keep a record of who I am, right now, because, well, I can’t remember who I was before. If I lose my memory again, this time I will be ready.[What's Happening: The author journaled her BotW play through. Every in-game night "Link" stops to write an entry in his journal.]





	1. The Great Plateau

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for popping by. This fic is wholly self-indulgent and borne out of boredom. For all I know, it's been done before (haven't read in the fandom since BotW was released.)
> 
> The mechanic of this fic is that I replayed BotW on Master Mode. Every in-game night I would have Link set up a fire and wait until morning (until the late game when you need to get stuff done at night, specifically). During that time, I would pause the game, and write a journal entry from Link's POV. Some entries are better, longer, etc. than others, but that is all part of the experiment (I assert, hoping to excuse my mistakes.)
> 
> At this point the fic is complete (except for the last chapter) and 14 chapters long, so I'll post a chapter whenever I have a chance to edit. Thank you for reading!

**Day 1**

I’ve had a bit of a rough day. I don’t remember who I am, a girl keeps talking in my head, I’m supposed to slay Calamity Ganon, a blue bokoblin nearly beat me to death with a stick, and the old man _still_ won’t give me his paraglider.

But, well, I’m still here, breathing and thinking and eating baked apples, so it could be worse. The old man (who is annoyingly enigmatic – I don’t know who _I_ am, the least you could do is tell me who _you_ are) showed me how to write in the Sheikah Slate. I want to keep a record of who I am, right now, because, well, I can’t remember who I was before. If I lose my memory again, this time I will be ready.

Saying I can’t remember anything is an oversimplification, I suppose. I know my name is Link. The girl in my head calls me Link, as well, so I will take that as the verifiable truth. I also remember how to do things. I know which mushrooms are safe to eat, how to whack a bokoblin in the head with a stick, how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to climb – I’m good at doing things.

I also know, deep in my gut, that I _will_ defeat Calamity Ganon, and free Hyrule from its horrendous presence.

100 years, the old man said. 100 years that Calamity Ganon has haunted Hyrule, 100 years that I’ve slept, dead to the world. Who was I? Who am I, now?

I don’t know. But I _really_ want the old man’s paraglider, so I suppose I will make my way to the shrines. Oh! I haven’t even mentioned yet how I reawakened ancient Sheikah technology across the continent, making towers and shrines burst out of the ground like overzealous daisies! That was a lot, honestly.

It’s grown dark. The old man says he will keep watch and let me sleep by his fire. Maybe he isn’t so bad, even if he won’t give me his paraglider.

 

**Day 2**

I entered a shrine this morning. I hate to admit it, but the old man may have been on to something. There was another terminal inside the shrine where I updated my sheikah slate, and now I can use magnesis to manipulate any object made of metal. It’s an incredible feeling, nudging giant metal cubes with a mere gesture. It can be little difficult to control, but with enough trial and error I made it to the end of the shrine.

Inside of a luminescent blue cube sat a monk wearing a straw hat, their face obscured with the sheikah eye symbol, all skin and bones. I touched the cube, and it shattered into light. The monk spoke to me then, commending me for making it through the shrine, bestowed upon me an orb (which immediately _whooshed_ into my chest) and dissipated into light. I was teleported back out of the shrine.

Have I spoken about the teleporting yet? Because that is _weird_. All I need to do is select a point on my map where I’ve activated the ancient sheikah technology, and I will disappear into blue wisps of light and reappear at my new location. It’s the oddest sensation, too – my body is overcome with tingles, I take a breath, I blink, and there I am, in a whole new place.

It boggles the mind, to think of the technology the ancient sheikah possessed; and that that technology is here, right now, to give me a chance at defeating Calamity Ganon.

I played around with the magnesis ability a bit – there is a staggering number of treasure chests at the bottom of lakes. I levitated a ball out of a bog, as well. It was chained to a tree stump with a round hole in it, so on a whim I lowered the metal ball into the hole. Pop! A tiny tree creature sprung into existence in an explosion of leaves, laughing its little head off. The tree creature called itself a Korok, a child of the forest, and was surprised I wasn’t Hestu, whoever that is. I told the Korok that I’m not Hestu, I’m Link. I may not know much, right now, but I know that much at least. The Korok gave me a seed to give to Hestu.

All over the plateau there are these ancient, broken machines with rusted tentacle arms. If you look under them, you can usually find a gear or a screw. An eerie reminder of battles long past, but not dangerous, right? Wrong. Close to the second shrine there were several of these machines that _look_ broken, but are actually just lying in wait, ready to shoot you with a death laser. Thankfully the laser takes a little while to charge, so I had just enough time to clamber over a wall and out of the machine’s view.

The second shrine was much like the first – creepy box monk and all – but this one gave my sheikah slate a bomb update. And by that I mean I can make literal bombs out of thin air. Yes. YES. Those bokoblins don’t know what’s going to hit them!

 

**Day 3**

I found a cooking pot today! Roasted apples are nice, but using the cooking pot let me add some variety to my meals – and to roast up some peppers to make mountain travel less chilling. Unfortunately, I had to liberate the cooking pot from some bokoblins. Thankfully my cunning strategy of “sneaking up and stealing their weapons” worked quite well, and I only had to climb a tree and run away once!

My initial plan was to head straight to the shrine in the mountains, but I was distracted when I spotted a cabin to the southeast of the mountain range. The cabin, it turns out, is the old man’s, and he offered me the use of his bed to improve my rest. In exchange for his hospitality, I cleared out the nearest bokoblin settlement. This group of bokoblins was not so easily snuck up on – I had to think quickly, and swung a large sword I scrounged up the previous day in a deadly circle around me. This served me well – both dealing a large amount of damage and preventing the trio of bokoblins from striking me with their wooden clubs.

The old man is good company, even if he is enigmatic to a fault. He is familiar with Sheikah technology, though I would wager that his knowledge is secondhand at best. His cabin is quite worn down. I offered to patch up the walls, to better hold in the heat, but the old man said it wasn’t necessary, and that he prefers to simply sit by the fire.

There is a certain beauty to watching the curl and flicker of the flames. I am glad that the old man chooses to do that which makes him happy.

 

**Day 4**

The old man has made me an offer – if I can cook him a Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry, then he will trade me his warm doublet, an item that will help keep me warm, even in the chill of the mountains.

I accepted the offer, of course. The old man has been kind to me while I adjust to … everything. Even if I still can’t cajole him into giving me his paraglider early. There was only one small issue – I did not have all of the necessary ingredients for the Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry. I did have several spicy peppers, but the integral meat and seafood were in short supply, particularly since I had cooked up all of my Hyrule Bass the previous day.

The old man suggested that I could go hunt boar in the woods on the north side of the plateau to get the meat I needed – so that was what I did. Hunting is a simple enough affair – the trick is to crouch low and go slow. I also cleared the woods of the bokoblins camped there. I have found my bow to be my greatest ally in these fights – I cannot afford to leap straight into battle, as I am always outnumbered by the enemy bokoblins. The best I can do is pick them off from afar, and only join the fray once the odds have been evened.

I will give the old man his Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry tomorrow. Tonight, I remain in the forest, the fire my only company.

 

**Day 5**  

Even with the warm doublet, the mountains are cold. I am curled as close to the fire as I can be with burning myself. An hour ago, this fire was roasting a hog as bokoblins huddled around it. Now, the bokoblins are a demonic dust, and I have claimed the fire, the fourth and final shrine of the old man’s challenge at my back. I will explore the shrine in the morning.

I found the third shrine earlier in the day, after trading my recipe for Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry for the warm doublet. It was a tough journey to the shrine – not because of the cold or distance, but because I had to flee from two separate bokoblin camps. I could not hope to face them without the element of surprise, so I chose to run, hoping that the bokoblins would lose interest in the pursuit.

There is nothing that will get your blood pumping in the morning quite like running from an angry mob of bokoblins, who would like nothing more than to strike you over the head with a bat, and worse.

The shrine itself was a peaceful challenge. Another rune was added to my sheikah slate – this one allows me to freeze individual objects in time. What power did the sheikah wield, that they can manipulate time itself? The stasis rune is a frightening power to wield. Interestingly, if an object is placed in stasis, then struck, say, with a hammer, the object stores all of the kinetic energy and then releases it, once the object re-enters the regular flow of time.

I used this method to move a large ball out of my path – though the operation very nearly backfired, when the massive ball struck a wall and bounced back toward me. I leapt out of the ball’s path, but it was a very near thing.

These sheikah from the ancient past – they could manipulate time, space, create bombs out of thin air…why was all of this technology hidden? Why is it being entrusted to an amnesiac? I told the old man that I would face Calamity Ganon. I know that is the path that I will walk – but I don’t know why I must be the one to walk it.

 

**Day 6**

I am sitting by the old man’s fire tonight, but the old man is not here. When I came here, weary from retrieving weapons and arrows from the bokoblins around the River of the Dead, the fire was out, without a single ember aglow. I had to start the fire again, striking my sword against flint until it sparked, but the light does not seem so cheerful as it did before.

The old man is dead. He’s been dead for the past 100 years, killed by Calamity Ganon when Hyrule fell, like the captain of a sinking ship. King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, the Last King of Hyrule. He shared his baked apples with me. He couldn’t remember that the other ingredient in a Spicy Meat and _Seafood_ Fry was a fish. He kept watch while I slept (I don’t know if I will be able to sleep tonight).

I just – I feel so alone, now. My only companion in this time, in this strange future, was a spirit, a king who is long past from this world. So many died 100 years ago, but I’m still here.

The old man said his daughter, Zelda, is the only thing keeping Ganon at bay, sealing him within Hyrule Castle. For a hundred years while I’ve been sleeping, Zelda has been trapped in battle with Ganon, alone. The very thought breaks my heart.

Tomorrow I set out for Kakariko village, leaving this plateau behind. But for now, I will sit by the old man’s fire. This time, I will leave him a baked apple.


	2. Dueling Peaks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can only see a sliver of the sky glimmering between the Dueling Peaks, but even so I can see all the stars I could want.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers through Link's conversation with Impa at Kakariko Village.

**Day 7**

I met a couple Hylians today – Mils and Mina. A pair of bokoblins was attacking them, and I managed to rescue them. Mina gave me some glazed mushrooms as thanks, and directions to Dueling Peaks Stable.

I ignored Mina’s directions, though, and explored the ruins dotting Hyrule field. There were some good weapons and apparel, stashed into corners or shoved into chests. I’m camped near some ruins, now. They used to be an army garrison, judging by the number of rusted weapons scattered around.

Now the only person here is me. The old man said I used to be a swordsman. Did I have friends who lived in this garrison, who set out one day to fight Calamity Ganon and never return? By what right am I sitting here now, while their bones lie beneath the soil?

If it weren’t for my chance encounter with Mils and Mina this morning, I would think it was just me here, with the ghosts of soldiers long dead, their rusted weapons, and swarms of keese.

 

**Day 8**

I have a new friend. His name is Brigo, and he patrols Proxim Bridge. He’s letting me share his little fire near the bridge tonight as well. We’re roasting fish together.

Brigo is from Hateno village, which is past Dueling Peaks by the Necluda Sea. He patrols Proxim bridge as part of a joint effort on the part of the people of Hyrule to keep trade going between disparate areas of Hyrule. Brigo is also something of a conspiracy theorist. He shared this detail a little huffily, as if he expected me to make fun of him. I didn’t make fun of him. Why would I? Like Brigo muttered to himself when I first came across him, the end is near – if I don’t get to work.

And, even if Brigo were a conspiracy theorist, I wouldn’t make fun of him. Not after what he did for me – what he’s doing for me. When Brigo mentioned that he was worried about the Guardian across the river coming to life and attacking, I immediately stepped up on the bridge rail, planning to jump into the river and swim over to investigate. But Brigo thought that I had a different plan. He talked me off the ledge. He kept me talking to him, willing to talk about anything if it would keep me safe on the bridge.

It was the kindest thing I could ever remember anyone doing for me. Brigo didn’t want anything from me, doesn’t want me to get anything for him or save the world. He just wants me to be safe, to keep on living.

After Brigo gave me directions to Dueling Peaks Stable, I almost continued on my way – but I stopped. I wanted to talk to Brigo more, to unload my thoughts and worries.

I told Brigo about waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection, about remembering nothing about who I am, Zelda’s voice echoing in my head (Brigo’s eyes bugged out of his head). I told Brigo that _I_ was responsible for all of the towers and shrines that sprang up a week ago, that it was all a part of some ancient Sheikah plan to prepare me to face Calamity Ganon (Brigo looked a little vindicated at that). I told him about how the old man I met on the day I awoke was actually the ghost of the Last King of Hyrule (Brigo grasped my shoulder comfortingly).

Brigo let me talk for hours, and now, as I write this (Brigo asleep on the other side of the fire. I insisted on taking first watch. “I already slept for a hundred years,” I joked. It’s a good line for winning arguments.) I feel lighter, happier than I have in days.

I’m not alone. And the people of Hyrule are here, and they’re worth saving. For now, that’s enough.

 

**Day 9**

I found a bandana in a shrine today. It’s a nice bandana, too. The design is cool, I think it goes with my tunic.

It’s odd, being camped out here, between the Dueling Peaks. I wonder whether they were ever once a single mountain, and the river forced itself between them. Or a giant struck the mountain, and it was cut in twain.

I miss Brigo. He might have a theory about the Dueling Peaks, or know an old story. I’m going to write Brigo, though. I promised to, when I left him this morning. I promised to write as often as I’m able, and Brigo promised to write me back. We’re friends, now. Brigo isn’t my first friend ever, I suppose, but it sure feels like he is.

I can only see a sliver of the sky glimmering between the Dueling Peaks, but even so I can see all the stars I could want.

 

**Day 10**

At last, I have arrived at Dueling Peaks stable. Already its been four days since I left the peninsula, and I still have yet to reach Kakariko Village. Every delay wears on me, but each time a bokoblin nearly slays me with one blow I am reminded of all of the work I still need to do in order to face Calamity Ganon. And to think, the Old Man said I was once the greatest swordsman in Hyrule, a knight, even! It is almost laughable.

I have another new friend, now. Proxim, the horse. He is a gentle creature, a chestnut horse with spotted hindquarters. I named him after Brigo’s bridge. Proxim likes apples quite a bit. A girl at the stable recommended that I find some carrots to feed Proxim, as well. 

Proxim accompanied me on a quick adventure, the first of many. A couple of men were discussing a lead on a cache of treasure. I eavesdropped, of course. They caught me, but I wasn’t trying to be subtle. It took some badgering and bribery, but I coerced the duo into telling me the clue to the Misko, the Great Bandit’s treasure. They assumed that since they were unable to solve the puzzle, that I would be equally unsuccessful.

They were incorrect. The puzzle was simple enough:

 

“The little twin steps over the little river,

My cave rests over that river’s source.”

 

The little twin refers to the little twin river. From there, it was simple matter of following that little river to its source, climbing above the waterfall, summoning a bomb out of thin air and blowing open the entrance to the cave. For my efforts I found several precious gems and a flame sword. Yes, a flame sword. It is an incredible acquisition. I have already started a minor brushfire.

 

**Day 11**

I rest today in Kakariko Village. It’s a peaceful place with shimmering waterfalls, roaming Cucco’s (though not for long – Cado’s asked for my help gathering them. He seemed very distraught.), and fireflies.

It’s almost enough to distract me from Impa’s words today. Impa, who I knew once, a hundred years ago, but who now seems as old as the hills. She expected me to recognize her, thought that she would be passing Zelda’s words onto a dear friend, but instead she was met with a stranger wearing ill-fitting garb.

Impa said I was brave for wanting to hear Zelda’s message. I don’t feel brave – the very thought of facing Calamity Ganon again, of restoring the Divine Beasts where the Champions fell, makes my breath comes more quickly, my fingers twitch. I do not feel equal to the task set before me.

But I will forge ahead regardless, one step at the time, because that is what must be done. I do not know what reasons the Link from before had for facing Calamity Ganon before, but I have my own now. Zelda has waited a hundred years for my aid. I cannot betray that trust. Brigo shouldn’t have to fear the Guardian across the river. And this land – this land is beautiful. I could not bear to see Hyrule overcome by Ganon’s darkness.

On a different note, I found Hestu, the maraca-playing spirit the Koroks keep mentioning. So far as I can discern, Hestu and the Koroks are engaged in an elaborate game of hide-and-seek, only Hestu is terrible at seeking. Since I can see the Koroks – apparently a rarity – Hestu has tasked me with tracking down the other Koroks and retrieving seeds for his maracas.

This all seems terribly ill thought-out to me, but perhaps the perspective of a forest spirit is different.

 

**Day 12**

 

I spent most of the day helping out Cado, retrieving his Cucco’s from around the village. It was tough to find all of the birds – some were perched on roofs, or in “very important” plum gardens, but Cado seemed so distraught over the situation I felt I needed to intercede.

Also, the Great Fairy in the hills? She is a very intimidating entity. She must be as large as a house, at least. I plan to set out for Hateno Village, tomorrow. Impa says there is an expert on the Sheikah Slate there that I should consult. I have tarried here long enough.

 

**Day 13**

 

I encountered my first Guardian today – or at least, my first fully functioning Guardian. I left Kakariko village early in the morning, riding Proxim to the west. The man at the inn said there were wild horses there.

What the man did _not_ mention were the three Guardians in the valley next to the wild horses. I moved to paraglide towards the Dueling Peaks (I espied a Shrine) when the Guardian spotted me and attacked. The Guardian targeted me with its malevolent red laser, the beam charged. It must have only been a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. I sprinted, trying desperately to get out of the Guardian’s sight, but to no avail. The Guardian fired a beam of blue light straight at me.

It hurt like hell, the entire right side of my body burning. It would have been the end for me, but for the fairy that emerged from my pouch, reviving me nearly instantaneously. In the few moments before the Guardian set it sights on me again, I lunged under the machine in a mad fit of inspiration. I crouched low, praying to the Goddess that this ploy would work. 

It did. The Guardian looked and turned, but could not find me. When the Guardian turned to return to its usual patrol, I scrambled away as quickly as I could.

It was a near thing. To think, if I hadn’t visited the Great Fairy yesterday… it’s best not to dwell on such things.

I weep for Hyrule, to think of all of the people chased down by the Guardians, having their final moments be a red pointed laser and blue blast, to think of the people like Brigo barely escaping those machines, living in fear that they will descend upon their village, next.

That is no way to live. I will write to Brigo. I could use his advice in this. 

I rest by Dueling Peaks Stable tonight, gentle Proxim at my side. Tomorrow, I leave for Hateno village.


	3. Hateno Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’d be surprised to see someone who was alive a hundred years ago look so young…but then I would be the ultimate hypocrite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Spoilers through Hateno Village area questline, and the first memory of Zelda and the Champions.

**Day 14**

A terrible battle was fought here on Blatcherly Plain. A Hylian I encountered here at Fort Hateno assumed that I was here on a pilgrimage, to pay my respects to the soldiers who fought here to keep Hateno safe from the wave of Guardians attacking. And perhaps that wasn’t my original purpose for coming here, but I could do nothing less. To think on the terror I felt just yesterday, faced with only a couple fully operational Guardians – the bravery of the soldiers a hundred years past is remarkable.

I may have even known them. Best not to dwell on that. Brigo wrote me back, and told me that simmering about what might have been and who I was won’t help me at all. “You don’t have the luxury of stewing in the past,” he wrote, “You’re much too busy shaping the future. Just take it a step at a time.”

Brigo is a good friend. I’m lucky to have him.

 

**Day 15**

I activated Hateno Tower and struck an old statue’s glowing eye with an arrow, the culmination of a self-proclaimed “doctor’s” life of research today. (Honestly, if it takes you a lifetime to decipher “When a dark light resides in the cursed statue’s eyes, pierce its gaze to purge the seal from the shrine” (aka hit the statue with an arrow. Dr. Calip already knew where the statue was. He spends every day examining it. Hyrule’s doctoral program needs to be reviewed.)

A query: how do each of the Sheikah monks have a different meditating position? So far as I have observed, there is no overlap. Each monk is sitting in their glowing blue box slightly differently. Did they have a meeting 10,000 years ago, where they coordinated sitting positions? Did some poor monk draw the short the straw and need to sit with their arms raised in the air for millennia? I’ll need to consider this further.

I almost forgot! A member of the Yiga Clan, disguised as a traveler, attacked me. The Sheikah warned me about the Yiga Clan, about how they are a faction of the Sheikah clan that broke off and chose to serve Ganon instead of the Goddess. They reportedly became active again when I reactivated the ancient Sheikah shrines and towers.

The Yiga Clan member was waiting for me, though, positioned beside the primary path between Kakariko and Hateno Village. It’s odd – though I haven’t exactly hidden my purpose or identity, I’ve also only been awake for a couple weeks. I wouldn’t think that a small faction of ninja would have the time or knowledge to set a trap like this for me. Perhaps my message to Brigo was intercepted. Outside of Kakariko, that is the only place where my movements were recorded.

 

**Day 16**

I have reached Hateno Village! The setting is practically idyllic, with children running through the streets without fear and food available to all. It worries me, though, to think of the bokoblins roaming the forests outside the village. I would go through and clear them out of the woods, but with the rising of the blood moon they would only return again. It is a frustrating cycle – perhaps the worst manifestation of Ganon’s malice.

I intend to climb the hill up the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab in the morning. For tonight, I rest.

 

**Day 17**

Purah was not what I was expecting. Granted, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t for one of the foremost experts on Ancient Sheikah Technology to have the appearance of a six year old. And the attitude. (Well, I assume. I’ve only met a few six year olds in the past couple weeks, but they’ve all been peppy and yelled a lot, so Purah definitely fits the bill.)

She called me _Linky_. I’d be surprised to see someone who was alive a hundred years ago look so young…but then I would be the ultimate hypocrite.

Purah kept a journal of her experience with de-aging upstairs. She warned me against reading it, because it was embarrassing to her. I snooped and read it, of course. I don’t really see what she has to be embarrassed about. An experiment went wrong, sure, but now that the guidance stone is powered again, I’m confident that Purah will be able to age herself out of childhood again.

Purah wrote other things in her journal, though. Things about me. She wrote that I was the youngest knight ever appointed to the Imperial Guard at Hyrule Castle, that I was chosen to be the captain of Zelda’s personal guard. I did all that? It certainly feels unlikely…

Purah also wrote about how she saved me, 100 years ago. How I was dying, covered in wounds, and that it was only by placing me in the Shrine of Resurrection that I lived to see today. The Sheikah Slate that I carry now? That was Zelda’s. She even took pictures with it. Purah thinks that these pictures might be the key to restoring my memory, since wherever Zelda went, I followed.

It’s strange to think of this life, before. It feels as if this all happened to a completely different person, but it was me.

(On a less practical note, Purah’s writing reminded me that I haven’t the foggiest idea how old I am. She wrote that I was the youngest knight at Hyrule Castle…but how young is that? I guess that I’m a teenager…but I was asleep for a hundred years. Am I an old man, then? I suppose it doesn’t matter, but it would be nice to know.) 

Purah suggested that I return to Impa, and show her Zelda’s old photos, as Impa knows Zelda the best of anyone still living. I go to Kakariko in the morning.

 

**Day 19**

I remembered something, today. Only a little, a glimpse of moment, but it was enough for me to know that the Link who was _before_ is still in here in my head, somewhere. I wonder what he – I? – would think of what I’m doing, now.

A traveling painter named Pikango recognized the location of a picture remaining on the Sheikah Slate, from when Zelda was its owner. The West Lanayru Gate, looking at Mt. Lanayru in the distance. Impa suggested I go there, hoping the picture and place would be enough to spark my memory.

It was. I only wish it had been a happy memory. Zelda was there, in a white gown, and the Champions, each wearing a blue scarf. Zelda had just returned from Mt. Lanayru after doing…something. I can’t quite recall what. Whatever it was, though, it hadn’t worked. I remember feeling so sad for Zelda, worried about how yet another setback would make her feel.

But then, a rumble shook the earth. It was Ganon. The Champions – we – set to work, to face the Calamity head on. That’s what I was supposed to do. I remember feeling scared, and worried, but determined. I was more scared for the Champions and Zelda than myself.

Were these some of the Champions’ last moments? The idea, this terrible knowledge of both here and then, it haunts me. It has rained incessantly the past two days. It seems fitting.

Impa, once I told her what I remembered, gave me my old tunic, the Champion’s tunic. I don’t feel as if I can wear it, just yet. Maybe one day.

Tonight, I sleep in Hateno Village. The peace here, it is comforting to me. There is a rumor of a shrine by the cedars in the mountains. I will seek it out in the morning.

 

**Day 20**

It has been a very cold day, exploring the Mt. Lanayru. My warm doublet alone was not enough to keep me from freezing. I found, though, that if I held my meteor rod or my amazing flame blade close, I remained warm enough that the chill was no great issue. The meteor rod was of great use against the icy Lizalfos, as well. With a single swing, flames burst out of the rod, destroying Lizalfos in a single strike. If only all battles could be won so easily.

I did not intend to climb to the summit of Mt. Lanayru today, but when I saw a _dragon_ curled around the peak I had to investigate. The goddess addressed me at the spring – something which should be an oddity, but feels very normal – and informed me that the dragon was named Naydra, and was one of her agents in Hylia. Naydra was corrupted by the Calamity, another victim of its malice.

I freed Naydra, of course. Naydra maintained enough of their agency to not attempt to attack me, thankfully. Such a battle would have been very difficult. As it was, I needed only to the shoot the remnants of Calamity Ganon that clung to Naydra’s scales with my bow.

Naydra is a glorious sight, an ethereal vision of gleaming scales, a touch of the divine on earth. Seeing Naydra free, it set me at ease as little has. I have done this much, at least. The rest will follow. It must.

I don’t know where to go from here. I know that I must free the Divine Beasts – but where should I go first? The locations are marked on my Sheikah Slate, but they each seem so very far away. I think I will visit Brigo, and ask his opinion. He is good at guiding me in the right direction.


	4. Stables and Shrines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s another shrine within sight upriver, so I’ll go there tomorrow. Brigo is right – best not to overthink it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter - the next one is longer, I promise! Spoilers for the Eastern stretch of Hyrule Field.

**Day 21**

Brigo did have some good advice for me. His advice went something like this:

“You see that stable up the Hylia river a bit?”

“Yes?”

“Have you been there yet?”

“No.”

“Well, then. Go. Don’t overthink it.”

So I went. The Riverside Stable is nice. Hestu the Korok was here, and I passed along more seeds for him to put in his maracas. He seemed very excited about it, if the dancing was any indication.

There’s another shrine within sight upriver, so I’ll go there tomorrow. Brigo is right – best not to overthink it.

 

**Day 22**

On the road to the Wetlands Stable today I met a man. A reprehensible man, who had the gall to say – to a stranger, no less – that scaring Cuccos into laying an egg is a “Cuccourt Secret.” I am appalled. It is 3 am, according to my Sheikah Slate. I just _swam_ through a shrine while Guardian Scouts shot at me, and all I can think about is _that man’s_ egregious pun.

Does he make that joke to every traveler he comes across? Or is it just me? Do I have a face that invites unprovoked puns? I am too tired for this. I pray there will be no nonsense like this in the morning.

 

**Day 23**

There was nonsense in the morning. A Hylian named Yolero earnestly believes he is the legendary hero, and wields the “Master Torch.” I attempted to ask Yolero why he believes his torch is the “Master Torch,” when it looks exactly like every other torch I have seen in my travels. Yolero did not provide a clear answer.

Though, in a way, in envy Yolero his certainty. I am trying to live up to the role placed on me, to continue a mission in the name of people I cannot remember, but day-to-day, when I don’t have Sheikah assuring me of my path and purpose, it is hard to think of myself as a hero. Right now I just feel cold and tired of the rain.

I met a Rito for the first time today. Or, for the first time I can clearly recall, besides the Rito Champion. His name was Kass, and he offered to sing to me an ancient ballad of how the Calamity was defeated in 10,000 years ago. I suppose such a song is uplifting to the people in Hyrule in these uncertain times. Ganon was defeated before. He can be defeated again.

A line in Kass’s song struck me, of how two souls protect Hyrule, the Goddess-born princess and a fearless knight, appearing in each age to fight Ganon. It is disconcerting to consider. Have I lived before – not just 100 years ago, but 10,000? (How old am I? Who am I?)

Brigo would tell me to take it one step at a time, to not worry about the legends and concern myself with the here and now. It’s hard to follow his advice, when the past seems so concerned with me.

I met a Zora playing in the swamp today. She told me I should go to Prince Sidon, that the Zora have a problem they need a Hylian’s help with. I will try to find him in the morning, though the constant rain here in the swamp makes travel difficult.

 

**Day 24**

I spent the entire day in a shrine, swimming back and forth across a room attempting to reach a treasure chest, but to no avail. There must be some way to get that chest…but I’ve been at it for hours. I even attempted to create an updraft by piling several bundles of wood together, but without success. Its frustrating, to see treasure so close, but for it to remain out of reach.

I sleep in the shrine tonight, and set out for Inogo bridge in the morning.

 

**Day 25**

Inogo bridge is within sight! I rest at a shrine tonight – I just completed a Minor Test of Strength, and I hope to rest and recover from my wounds before aiding Prince Sidon. The Zora I have encountered all seem quite devoted to their mission – and to their prince. One was even stuck at the top of one the Sheikah towers! I can’t help but feel bad – it was, after all, partly my doing that had all of these towers and shrines sprouting around the countryside. I left the Zora with some supplies and plenty of fish, so hopefully he will be well until I can inform the Prince of his predicament.

The next step is within sight – all that remains now is to take it.


	5. Zora's Domain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I…I think I just stepped into a political drama where I am a significant player, but I don’t remember what role I have or why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers through Zora's Domain portion of the game and Vah Ruta. Contains specific (bad) strategies for battling Hinox's.

**Day 26**

The path to Zora’s Domain is exceedingly wet. My clothes have long since been soaked through. I am endlessly grateful for the small coverage my hood allows me – at least rain isn’t consistently dripping down my face. 

Prince Sidon wasn’t kidding when he said that the road was treacherous, and the monsters here numerous. The Lizalfos here are armed with Shock Arrows, of all things. Honestly, getting shot with a regular arrow isn’t a fun experience, but the addition of electrocution adds insult to injury. I spent the better part of the afternoon sneaking past a particularly dangerous group of Lizalfos. I am certain that the elixir Prince Sidon gave me saved my life during that fight.

The Zora Prince wasn’t quite what I was expecting, though I suppose I haven’t the foggiest notion how a Zora Prince should act. I didn’t anticipate Prince Sidon being so loud, or back flipping off a tower, or offering me a grin of encouragement. From what I recall (which, frankly, isn’t much) royalty is typically much more reserved. Sidon doesn’t fit the mold.

But that’s a good thing, I think. Sidon is kind in a way that reminds me of Brigo. He told me not to give up, that he believed in me. He checked in on me as I traveled up the river. I will do my utmost not to betray the trust Sidon has placed in me.

 

**Day 27**

Prince Sidon says that I am more than halfway to Zora’s Domain, now. Perhaps even further. I have traveled quite a ways since I last spoke to him. I encountered Prince Sidon twice more today, swimming up and down the river, scouting out the movements of the Lizalfos and offering me encouragement.

I appreciate his aid more the words can say. I tried to express my thanks to him, but Sidon waved it away and gave me another of his “grin and thumbs up” combos. “You can do it!” he hollered across the water. “Stay strong!”

Since I’ve awoken in this time, its felt like people have told me “Saving the world is your job now, good luck!” then left me to figure it out on my own. Prince Sidon, though – even as he asks for the aid of a Hylian warrior to save his people from this endless downpour, he follows through, doing what he can to help me on my journey to Zora’s Domain.

I have made camp under an overhang for the night. It was difficult finding a place where I could light a fire without it immediately being put out by the rain.

 

**Day 28**

I…I think I just stepped into a political drama where I am a significant player, but I don’t remember what role I have or why. Thank Hylia I at least get to sleep on this waterbed tonight. This mattress is practically magical.

Important fact I did not know: Zora live for a very long time compared to Hylians. Many of the adult Zora I speak with remember playing with me as children. One called me “Linny”. The elder Zora remember me as well, though less fondly. They blame me for putting Mipha into Calamity Ganon’s path of destruction 100 years ago. The sad thing is they’re probably correct, at least partially.

I remembered something today, while I was looking at the statue of Lady Mipha the Zora erected in the middle of their domain. Not much, just a conversation Mipha and I had. I had hurt my arm, probably doing something dangerous, and Mipha was healing me. This was a common occurrence, I think. At least something hasn’t changed. She said that no matter how much trouble I got myself into, she’d be there to heal me after.

Prince Sidon says she loved me, the Zora Armor she crafted for me proof even long after her death. I trust Sidon’s word in this. I think, 100 years ago, I did not truly understand that Mipha loved me. I knew she cared for me, but not the extent. Perhaps she was waiting until after to tell me.

So, in a way I think Muzu the Zora elder was correct. It was my influence that placed Mipha into the Calamity’s path 100 years ago. She said she’d heal me, no matter what. I’m almost certain she became a Champion to keep that promise. If it weren’t for me, she would still be alive, here in Zora’s Domain, beloved by her people. I robbed Sidon – helpful, supportive, Sidon – of his sister.

The worst of it is that I didn’t even _remember_ Mipha, not without looking upon her statue. What must Sidon and King Dorephan think of me, that I couldn’t even recall the Zora who loved me enough to go to war against Calamity Ganon with me? Sidon keeps smiling at me, encouraging me, but how can he? He knows who I am, now, knows how I failed his sister and the rest of Hyrule.

I will retrieve the Shock Arrows from the Lynel on the mountain in the morning, shut down Vah Ruta’s endless waterspout with Sidon and board the Divine Beast – but then I will leave. The Zora deserve better than to have me interlope upon their lands.

 

**Day 29**

I am inside Vah Ruta. Mipha’s spirit is here as well. She has been trapped here, within sight of her home and family but unable to reach or aid them, for a century. The injustice of it simmers in my gut. The sheer magnitude of suffering…I have slept for far too long.

I left Zora’s Domain early this morning and climbed Polymus Mountain to reach Shatterback Point. I ascended the waterfalls using the magic of Mipha’s Zora Armor. The armor fits perfectly – another gift I don’t deserve. A Lynel was on Shatterback Point, surveying their territory. I escaped the beast’s notice, retrieving as many Shock Arrows as I could before paragliding from the mountain down to the reservoir.

I met Sidon at the reservoir. He seemed happy to see me, even said that I was amazing. I can’t understand how Sidon can hold me in such high regard, when I failed his sister so completely when Calamity Ganon attacked.

Prince Sidon is a remarkable swimmer – the speed and grace with which he can propel himself through the water, even when being attacked by a giant stone elephant, is a sight to behold. I feel certain that Prince Sidon could have shut down Vah Ruta himself if he weren’t unable to wield Shock Arrows.

I had a close call while shutting down Vah Ruta. I became overzealous when deactivating the beast, and aimed at two separate electrical points during the same leap. I overestimated my energy, and by the time I fell back into the water all of the strength was gone from my limbs. I was moments away from drowning. But Sidon saved me, tossing me on to his back and swimming me to safety.

I owe much to the Zora. Even now, within Vah Ruta, Mipha is guiding me, telling me how to wrest control of the Divine Beast from Calamity Ganon. I do not have time to rest, now, but I felt I needed to record my thoughts before continuing onward.

 

**Day 30**

It’s over. Calamity Ganon no longer has control of Vah Ruta, Mipha is free, and now I get to sleep in this very comfy bed.

Reaching all of Vah Ruta’s control terminals wasn’t an easy task. To access some I had to control the angle of Vah Ruta’s trunk with my Sheikah Slate. With Mipha’s guidance, though, I succeeded, and activated the main terminal.

That was when Waterblight Ganon, the aspect of Ganon that killed Mipha a century ago, attacked. Waterblight Ganon was a terrifying opponent, its essence a malformed purplish stain on Hyrule, wielding a perversion of Sheikah technology, a fearsome spear. Its single, yellow-red eye held nothing but crazed malice.

It was a tense battle, and at the beginning Waterblight Ganon nearly skewered me with its spear. Mipha remained calm, though, and guided me through the confrontation. Together, we triumphed. Champions, indeed.

Mipha appeared, afterward, as a spirit, much like King Rhoam did on the plateau. She thanked me for saving her, said that she had almost lost hope that she wouldn’t be trapped on Vah Ruta for eternity. The suffering she must have endured while I slept…it’s unthinkable. I tried to apologize for putting her through all of this, but she wouldn’t hear of it.

“I chose my own path,” Mipha said, in that quiet way of hers. But her eyes were steely. “I always have. Do not claim responsibility for Ganon’s evil. You carry a great burden. Do not add to it needlessly.”

Then she granted me her healing abilities, even though she has already given me so much. I hope I can prove worthy of her gift.

I was returned to Zora’s Domain at that point – it felt much like teleporting with the Sheikah Slate, but also…different. Regardless, when I next opened my eyes Vah Ruta had moved to a mountaintop, with a laser directed at Ganon.

King Dorephan thanked Sidon and I for our parts in wresting control of Vah Ruta from Calamity Ganon. Even Muzu the elder and Mipha’s old teacher expressed his gratitude and forgave me for putting Mipha in danger. I still don’t understand how Muzu could move past that old hurt. He had every right to blame me…

Though I suppose I shouldn’t blame myself. Mipha and Sidon have both tried to disabuse me of that notion. After addressing King Dorephan, I spoke to Prince Sidon, to thank him for his support and aid, and to apologize for my part in taking his sister from him a century ago.

He accepted my thanks, but rejected my apology. “Mipha chose her own path,” Sidon said, echoing Mipha’s own words. He said that I will always have a place here, with the Zora, and that he considered me a friend. A great friend, even.

Sidon is my friend – another one! I should write to Brigo.

I will remain among the Zora a little longer. I have many old friends here, and new ones, as well. And perhaps Muzu would know more of what it means for me to have Mipha’s healing abilities. The rain has stopped – I look forward to the light of a new dawn.

 

**Day 32**

I feel better now that I’ve spent some time here in Zora’s Domain. It’s been a revelation, spending time with people who knew me from before – who knew me as a child, even! I was a part of the Big Bad Bazz Brigade (I remembered the password!!), a group of Zora children (and me!) who ran and swam amok. Bazz, the leader of the Big Bad Bazz Brigade, is a guard now, but even so he took the time to gather the rest of the Brigade for a reunion dinner. I appreciated the food – the fight I had with the Hinox by Lake Ralis wasn’t an easy battle.

I started with a strategy of stunning the beast with an arrow in the eye and slashing at it while it recovered, but the Hinox wised up to this and covered its eye with a clawed hand. I improvised, though, using my meteor rod to set the grass aflame, ride the updraft with my paraglider, then strike with my bow in midair while the Hinox was distracted. The downside to this, though, was that I then landed _in_ the fire, which hurt quite a bit. Thankfully Mipha’s healing magic manifested itself, giving me the strength to fight on.

Speaking of Mipha’s gift, I consulted with Muzu about Mipha’s healing magic. The magic responds to intention, so, in theory, if I imagine in clear enough detail a wound healing, and yearn for it enough, I should be able to activate Mipha’s gift. He conjectured further that Mipha’s grace activates automatically when I am wounded badly, a reflection of Mipha’s intention to see me safe and whole.

I hope to master this healing magic, and share Mipha’s gift with as many people as I can. I have dealt a lot of death in this world; it would be a balm on my soul to heal those who need it.

Prince Sidon aided me as well, showing me an old stone that told of how a Hylian hero defeated a Lynel and was rewarded with a Zora Helm. The words were too faded for me to read, but Sidon remembered the original message. He was even there when I defeated the Lynel a hundred years past, but he was much smaller then. The Helm gifted to me was submerged in Toto Lake for safekeeping after the Great Calamity. Sidon helped me retrieve it. With the Zora Helm and Armor, I look like I belong among the Zora. It is a gratifying feeling, to be so wholly welcomed.

I leave tomorrow – I cannot justify tarrying more, not when I know the other Champions are trapped within their Divine Beasts as Mipha was in hers. Prince Sidon insists that I maintain a correspondence with him, though, a promise that I am happy to keep.


	6. Heirloom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link travels through Central Hyrule and encounters a crisis in Kakariko after purchasing the stealth armor from the Claree Collection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for the "Stolen Heirloom" shrine quest.

**Day 33**

I miss the Zora already. I spent what felt like an eternity having kisses blown at me by the Great Fairy near Kakariko Village. It was a trial, truly. I will visit Brigo tomorrow, to get directions to the desert. Based on the information I have, it lies to the West. I hope Brigo will have more specifics.

 

**Day 34**

I caught a wild horse today. Her name is Inogo, after the bridge where I first met Prince Sidon. She has a wild spirit, but is full of energy. Her coat is black, with white socks, mane, and nose. Inogo nearly unseated me when I tried to catch her, but I held on with the last of my strength. Inogo and I are still becoming accustomed to each other, but with enough bribery (in the form of apples) I think we will come to an arrangement.

I spent most of the day in a guardian-scout infested shrine. It’s difficult to solve a puzzle when a mechanical monster keeps firing at you.

Tomorrow I will ascend the Sheikah Tower in central Hyrule, I feel adrift without a proper map.

 

**Day 35**

It has been an incredibly long day…I think I best start at the beginning, or else I’ll forget something.

The day started auspiciously enough – I climbed up the Central Tower, and didn’t get roasted by a Guardian blast. Granted, it was a near thing, several times over, but I have my map now, so all is well.

…Until I experienced an existential crisis not two hours later. See, Pikango, the painter, suggested that I could find the location of one of the photo’s Zelda took with the Sheikah Slate at Lake Kolomo, and with my shiny new map I knew which lake was Lake Kolomo. The view jogged my memory immediately…but it wasn’t a very happy one. It was just Zelda and I, walking around the lake. Zelda spoke, I was silent.

I remember being in awe of the depth of her knowledge of Ancient Sheikah technology, of how hard she worked to make what many deemed impossible reviving the ancient marvels a reality. But, then she squared me with a look, as if she could see through to my very soul.

She asked how well I could use that blade…the Master Sword, I remember now. I could wield it well – even now, with most of my knowledge and memories lost, I still am confident in my skills as a swordsman. But that is not what Zelda was asking after. She spoke instead of legend that says an ancient voice resonates within the blade. Her next words shook me to the core, even now: “Can you hear it yet…hero?”

Because the truth is – I couldn’t. I never heard the voice spoken of in legends, at least not at that time. And I’m afraid – deathly afraid – that if I had I may have possessed the strength to defeat Calamity Ganon. Did my ineptitude leave Hyrule vulnerable? The notion haunts me.

My day continued. I traveled to Hateno Village to upgrade the Stasis Rune on my Sheikah Slate. I finally had enough Ancient Cores for Purah to finish the job.

Then I teleported to Kakariko Village and purchased the stealth clothing available in the Claree Collection. When I exited the clothing shop, though, I saw the village was in pandemonium. The guards that stand in front of Impa’s home, Dorian and Cado, shared with me that the Heirloom Paya devoted her every day to maintaining had been stolen.

Within the home, Paya was in tears in front of the cushion where the heirloom – one of the glowing orbs used to activate shrines – usually sat. Paya and Impa told me that the Yiga clan stole the Heirloom. This should not have been possible, though – the Sheikah in Kakariko village are very careful about vetting any outsiders or visitors to the village.

Paya’s nerves are a wreck, at the moment, so Impa asked me to accompany her for the day. This, at least, feels familiar enough. I served as Zelda’s head guard, and though I don’t remember the particulars I think most of the work involves being wary of threats.

Guarding Paya is a little discomfiting, though. I didn’t feel the need to mention this before, but I am rather certain that Paya has something of a crush on me. It’s sweet of her to hold me in such high regard, but I need to figure out who I am and sort through my many existential crises before I can even consider any romantic entanglements.

Hylia, I’m such a mess. I can sympathize with Paya, in a way – she worked every day to keep that Heirloom in good condition, and just when she is beginning to understand its greater purpose the opportunity is ripped away by forces too great to combat.

I hope to find out who stole the Heirloom, and what foothold the Yiga clan holds in Kakariko Village. The people here deserve to feel secure in their homes.

 

**Day 36**

I…this whole situation is just so unbearably sad. It was Dorian, the guard, who was spying for the Yiga clan. Dorian, who tells scary stories to his two little girls, Koko and Cottla, to keep them from roaming in the woods. Dorian, who welcomed me so openly to Kakariko. Dorian, whose wife was killed by the Yiga clan.

Dorian shared his whole story with me – how he was indoctrinated into the Yiga clan at a young age, but left at the behest of his wife. How the Yiga clan wouldn’t let him go, and when he did try to leave, killed his wife and threatened his daughters. The only way Dorian had to protect them was to spy on the comings and goings in the village – and report on my rival.

It was because of Dorian that the Yiga clan knew to mobilize, and where to send their assassins to ambush me on the road. In the end, though, Dorian showed bravery beyond what I could imagine. He confronted the Yiga clan member who stole the Heirloom, even though it endangered his own life.

To think of how that situation would have panned out if I weren’t there to intervene…

After defeating the Yiga clan member, I promised Dorian that I would not reveal his secret. He and his daughters deserve to live without the shadow of Dorian’s past with the Yiga looming over them. I fear, though, that the Yiga will seek to retaliate against Dorian. Perhaps if I could find their base of operations…but that is a journey for another day.

I will take some time to cook with Koko and play with Cottla in the morning.

 

**Day 37**

Today was restful, particularly compared to the intrigue of the previous days. Paya was relieved to hear that the Heirloom had served its ultimate purpose, and that her care for it over the years was not in vain. The orb seems like such a small thing to me, but to her it meant the world. Having an ancient civilization deeply invested in your growth as a hero certainly does skew your perspective

Cooking with Koko was fun – I got her a swift carrot for her soup. She was even nice enough to share some with me. And Cottla is a fun kid – we played tag and hide and seek. Cottla has a mischievous streak a mile wild.

I left Kakariko village at noon, full of carrot soup, and made for the Outskirt Stable. The cliffs in this part of Hyrule are different than the mountains in the east. They are sheerer, so when I climb I have to look for the route with the most ledges.

Until tomorrow, I will rest.

 

**Day 38**

I crossed the Digdogg Suspension Bridge today, a task easier said than done, due to the Hinox resting in the center of it. I could have crept around the slumbering Hinox, but I feel quite strongly about bridges. Brigo would be deeply disappointed in me if I left such a prominent bridge as the Digdogg Suspension Bridge overrun with monsters.

It is incredible how quickly the landscape changes – on the opposite side of the bridge the grass is lush and green, while here it is dry and brittle. I almost started a brushfire while lighting my campfire for the night. Inogo was displeased. I had to bribe her with an apple to convince her to settle near me again.


	7. Gerudo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s sand everywhere, and it’s hot, and the Lizalfos have electric horns. Sidon would hate it here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers through the Gerudo region, including the main Divine Beast quest and most of the side quests. 
> 
> Warning: this is one of Link's lowest points. If mentions of violence aren't good for your mental state, skip Days 43-46. The rest of the chapter should be okay.

**Day 39**

I have reached the top of the Wasteland Tower! I now have a map of the Gerudo region, a comfort in these dry lands. I can see the desert in the distance from here – the sands appear an endless sea. I will remain brief – it is morning, already. There is much to do.

 

**Day 40**

A Blood Moon again, tonight. It’s demoralizing to think that all of the beasts I defeated have now reappeared, rewoven by Ganon’s dark magic. Even the Hinox on Digdogg Suspension Bridge is back again, slumbering and preventing people from easily traveling to Gerudo.

It does not matter how many monsters I defeat – they will only appear again. I could clear Hyrule out, purge every bokoblin and Guardian from the fields, but when next the Blood Moon rose they would return. It is a vicious cycle.

I am reminded of Brigo. He mentioned the Blood Moon, once, when I asked why he didn’t slay the bokoblins camped near Proxim Bridge. “They would just return with the Blood Moon,” he groused, but his tone wasn’t fatalistic. 

“Then what’s the point of guarding the bridge, if not to keep it clear of monsters?” I asked.

“I don’t guard the bridge from the monsters, I guard it for the people,” Brigo replied. “I don’t measure my success as a guard here by how many bokoblins I’ve driven away with my spear,” he struck the ground with the weapon for emphasis, “But by how many people I’ve helped in their travels.”

I will try to remember Brigo’s words as I watch the Blood Moon tonight. The monsters may return, but the help I’ve given remains.

 

**Day 41**

I remembered something today. I remembered that the Yiga Clan have been belligerent creeps for a long time. It happened a century ago, at the Oasis. Zelda and I were separated. I think Zelda was annoyed at me for some reason. It was probably a good reason – I’ve come to realize that I don’t have the greatest people-skills.

The Yiga clan attempted to assassinate Zelda while she was on the road. I stopped them. Afterward, I remember looking into Zelda’s eyes and seeing _something_ there, though I’m not sure what. Maybe someday I’ll figure it out.

The Oasis is nice – I remember palm trees, now. I think I like them. Sidon would hate it here. There’s sand _everywhere_ , and it’s _hot_ , and the Lizalfos have _electric horns_. I should write to him about it.

I will go to the Gerudo Town tomorrow. I’ve heard they don’t allow men within the walls, but perhaps they’ll make an exception? I really do need to consult with the Gerudo leader about the Divine Beast – they may already have a strategy in mind for facing the ancient machine.

(Oh, and I rescued a group of travelers from Bokoblins this morning. I’d feel happy about it, but now I don’t think they are friends anymore, which might be for the best, but is still kind of sad.)

 

**Day 42**

 

Well, the good news is that I gained entrance to Gerudo Town. The bad news is that I am deceiving the Gerudo in order to do it. I tried to find another way, I really did.

I arrived at Gerudo Town this morning, and after visiting the shrine outside the walls, I spoke to the guards. I entreated them to allow me to enter Gerudo Town because I had important information about the Divine Beast from the Sheikah clan. The guards did not listen. I asked them to pass along a message to their chief, then, that a “voe” wished to meet with her. The guards also denied me this. The Gerudo are very protective of their chief.

At that point, annoyed, I tried to climb over the walls, but was caught. Not one of my finest moments. A merchant by the shrine, though, was spying on the Gerudo. I learned that he had spent the better part of the week watching the comings and goings of the Gerudo, and that he had heard a rumor of a man who had found a way in staying at the Oasis.

I investigated the rumor, of course, and found the person on the roof of the inn. They were a Hylian, dressed in the traditional Gerudo style, but with a mask obscuring their face. They sold me a similar outfit. It’s very breezy.

After that, entering Gerudo Town was easy, but I feel dishonest about it. The Gerudo are very protective of their customs, and for me to flaunt their traditions in this way feels like a breach of trust. It’s not that I dislike being mistaken for a girl – or vai – but that I’m engaging in a deliberate deception.

I will rest for tonight, and seek an audience with the Gerudo Chief in the morning.

 

**Day 43**

Well, I spoke with Riju, the Chief of the Gerudo. It was nerve wracking speaking with her, not because of Riju herself, but because of Buliara, her bodyguard. I’m certain that woman would skewer me without a moment’s hesitation. She almost did when she figured out that I was a voe. I nearly leapt out of my skin with fright.

I feel for Riju. She’s young, and has been thrust into a role that she doesn’t quite fit – at least, not yet. I feel that now – I wonder if I felt the same a hundred years ago?

Buliara sent me on a quest – to steal the Thunder Helm, a relic of the Gerudo stolen by the Yiga Clan. The honest-to-goddess Yiga Clan. Hylia, I’m sick of them. I’ve got enough to do taming the Divine Beasts, I don’t need to deal with a bunch of banana-loving assassins. And now I _know_ I felt the same a hundred years ago.

Also, they killed Koko and Cottla’s mom. The Yiga Clan is _done_.

The Gerudo have already scouted out the Yiga Clan’s hideout. All I need to do now is show up and wreck the place. …And climb the Gerudo Tower, so I can properly plan a get-away route if things turn sour. I’m camped near the bottom of the Gerudo Tower for the night. I’m only camped near the bottom, because the actual base of the tower seems to be approximately a thousand leagues below the desert.

I’d better rest. I’ll be doing a lot of climbing tomorrow.

 

**Day 44**

In the minutes past midnight, I pause here, outside the Yiga Clan’s hideout, to record my thoughts. Usually, when I go into battle, I do so because I must. I have a place to go, treasure to find, a person to rescue. Today is the same…but also, it is not. I face the Yiga Clan.

The temptation to take revenge on the Yiga Clan, to scour them from the Gerudo Highlands, to make them pay for their crimes of assassination, indoctrination, theft…the notion is alluring.

But. Dorian left the Yiga clan. There are people behind those masks – they are not bokoblins who will be pulled once again into this world after the rising of the Blood Moon.

When I enter that compound, I will have a choice to make. I pray I choose correctly.

 

**Day 45**

I am back in Gerudo Town. There is a back alley here, where a Goddess Statue lays forgotten. An elderly Gerudo Woman named Muava is here, as well, who never found the love she was searching for. Muava remains here, keeping the Goddess Statue company. She recognized that I was a voe immediately, but didn’t rat me out. She just wanted to talk.

I needed somebody to talk to. When I went to the Yiga Clan Compound today, I almost made the wrong choice. I almost chose a path of revenge. But there was a Gerudo woman, Barta, held in a cell. I couldn’t find a way to release Barta without injuring her, and she told me to move on with my mission.

Barta’s presence stilled my sword – it’s one thing to burst into the compound, sword blazing, an avenger in the night, but it’s another to show that side of myself to another. It was too easy too imagine Barta’s face replaced by someone else: Brigo, or Dorian, or Sidon, or Zelda.

I changed my clothes, donning the stealth armor of the Sheikah Tribe. It felt right, a showing of what the Sheikah tribe truly represents, instead of the inverted mockery of the Yiga Clan. I snuck past the guards, distracting them with bundles of bananas when necessary.

In the end, I confronted their leader, Master Kohga, a warrior gone to seed. His mannerisms and attacks all felt off. He spoke of how his skills were learned from his forebears, how his power was great, but he also obviously didn’t put much effort into honing those skills. He attacked me almost as a matter of course, as if it were the thing to do.

I feel almost certain that Master Kohga was a victim of a lifetime of indoctrination, a series of expectations and ideals levered upon his shoulders. Looking on him, I couldn’t help but feel sad for the delusional man, even as he launched boulders at me.

He was beaten, at the end, but he persisted, summoning an outrageously large metal sphere, dotted with spikes. Masater Kohga bragged about how the technique was passed down to him from his father’s mother’s father…until the sphere tilted back, onto Kohga, pushing him into the bottomless pit at the center of the battlefield. I was frozen in shock. I grabbed the Thunder Helm and fled, teleporting to Gerudo Town.

I’m still shocked. While I didn’t kill Master Kohga with my own hands, I still feel responsible. I could have prevented his death. If I had just pulled out my Sheikah Slate and used Magnesis, I could have stopped the sphere, tossed it to the side. I could have used Stasis, and bought a little more time. But I did not.

Muava talked to me about it, kneeling with me in front of the statue of the Goddess. She says that I’m being a self-centered idiot, which is probably true. She whacked me a couple times, too, yelling about how she’s already lived a life of “what-ifs” and she’s not going to see a silly voe make the same mistake. When I protested that I was planning to take my _vengeance_ , and wasn’t that proof that I’m an awful, awful excuse for a hero, she rolled her eyes and said that I wasn’t ever really going to follow through with it, that I was only ever being melodramatic because its very clear that that’s what I _do_.

Muava prayed with me in front of the Goddess, for a little while. I could still feel the Goddess smile down on me. Perhaps I haven’t strayed too far from my path, then. Even in the dead of night, her divine light shone. It’s a comfort.

 

**Day 46**

I am inside Vah Naboris. The very air oozes with Ganon’s malice – I have no wish to linger. Lady Urbosa’s spirit is trapped here, much as Mipha’s was in Vah Ruta.

I remember a little of Lady Urbosa, now, as she was before. It struck me when I looked at Riju, wearing the Thunder Helm, trying so hard to live up to the legacy of her ancestors.

Lady Urbosa was a powerful warrior – it was evident in her grace, in the sharpness of her gaze. She could summon lightning from the sky with a snap of her fingers. I remember that she cared deeply for Zelda, that she saw the tireless effort Zelda put into activating her sealing magic, into reviving the ancient Sheikah technology, and honored her for it.

Even after a hundred years trapped within Vah Naboris, Lady Urbosa greeted me with a jest – “You sure know how to keep a lady, waiting.” The strength of her spirit is astounding.

Riju carries that same strength, even if she doesn’t know it yet. She left her bodyguard behind, summoned the power of an ancient artifact, and rode into range of an immense mechanism constantly firing electrical death rays, all in the hopes of sparing her people from destruction.

I feel better today than yesterday, even inside Vah Naboris. I know my purpose here. I know that what I do now will help, will bring Hyrule one step closer to liberation from Ganon.

 

**Day 47**

I…I just need a moment. I’m sitting just outside of the walls of Gerudo Town. My legs feel like jelly, and I can aftershocks vibrating through my skin. For the first time in this century, I am wearing the Champion’s tunic.

Thunderblight Ganon is the toughest opponent I can ever recall facing – possessed of the same eerie appearance of Waterblight Ganon, but faster, sharper, wielding a claw that will electrocute you even as it strikes you.

The battle did not go well for me, at first – for every strike I landed against Thunderblight Ganon, the malign entity returned another strong enough to kill. Even with Urbosa providing advice and encouragement, I fell to the beast. It was only Mipha’s Grace that saved me. In that moment of healing, I blinked, and in that moment of darkness I saw Urbosa and Mipha.

“Trust yourself, Link,” Mipha said.

“Fight as yourself, Link,” Urbosa said. “Fight like the champion you are. You are in denial – get over it.”

I blinked again, and I was once again in battle with Thunderblight Ganon. But now I was wearing the Champion’s Tunic. And somehow, whether it was only in my head or not, that made all the difference. I dodged Thunderblight Ganon’s strike perfectly, landing a series of counter-attacks on the entity. When it fell, I leveled my bow at it and launched bomb arrow after bomb arrow. When it summoned metal pillars, I used magnesis to use the creature’s command of electricity against it. I won the day. I was a Champion again.

Urbosa spoke to me afterward. She wants me to look after Zelda, and after Hyrule. I promised her I would. She told me not to feel guilty, or Zelda, about the Calamity; that this was the way things had to happen. I never believed that before, but when Urbosa says it, I can’t help but believe her. I can also summon lightning by snapping now, which is terrifying, and awesome.

The Champion’s Tunic feels…good. I feel like myself again. Now…to go disguise myself as a girl.

 

**Day 48**

Riju was happy hear that Vah Naboris was calm once again, and that her people were safe. The look of relief on her face, as if a large weight had just been lifted from her shoulders – it made me happy to see.

I took today as a chance to explore the desert: I circled interesting spots on my map and tried to go there. It worked well for the most part, though I did run into some unexpected difficulties; namely, the Molduga stalking the Southern Oasis. That beast was _powerful_. If it weren’t for Mipha’s Grace, I would have been felled in a single hit from the Molduga’s fin. I took a moment to recover and answered the Molduga’s attack with a barrage of bomb arrows. Once it was stunned, I slashed at the monster with an axe and finished it with a snap of my fingers, unleashing Urbosa’s Fury.

I feel like a Champion again, and it is awesome.

Speaking of Champions, I won a sand seal race (on my second try, but there’s no need to talk about that. I only stepped off my shield for a moment because there was a boulder in the way, I don’t see what the big deal is.) The prize was an orb, passed down through the generations, much like the orb Kakariko Village prized. It’s funny to think of how the Kakariko treated their orb as a sacred heirloom, while the Gerudo treated theirs as a prize in the sand seal racing circuit.

I ended the day by zipping down to the skeleton in the far corner of desert. It looked cool on the map, I guess? I had to circumnavigate a small sand storm to get here, but in the end I found a Shrine and another greedy Great Fairy. I’ve spent the better part of the evening having kisses blown at me…but the results don’t lie. Apparently I need the horn of the dragon Farosh to enhance my Champions’ Tunic. Once I am done exploring the desert, I may try to find Farosh.

 

**Day 49**

I…I’m just so confused. I think I need to start from the beginning.

So I was zooming around with my sand seal when my Sheikah Slate indicated there was a shrine nearby – the usual situation, nothing out of the ordinary. What was troubling, though, was the Gerudo woman collapsed on the activation module for the shrine.

When I tried to talk to the woman, all she would do was mutter about wanting to drink a Noble Pursuit one last time. I tried to convince her to let me ride her back to Gerudo Town on my sand seal, but she wouldn’t budge. I left the woman one of my water skins and draped my old tunic over her head to try to keep her from suffering any further heatstroke and returned to Gerudo Town to try to find out what a Noble Pursuit is.

It took a little while. By the time I found the bar I had flirted (?) with a Hylian enough to convince him to give me his snow boots (I _need_ his sand boots though. It’s a visceral need. They _will_ be mine!) and given a woman the Molduga guts needed for her husband’s medicine.

Regardless, it turns out a Noble Pursuit is an icy alcoholic beverage which is very popular among the Gerudo adults. Also, it turns out that I look too young to purchase alcohol, but not so young that I shouldn’t carry spears around. I’ll figure it out someday…or remember. Wouldn’t _that_ be nice.

Anyway, the Gerudo bartender told me I could get a Noble Pursuit for the woman stranded in the desert…but that I would need to fetch the ice myself. Seriously. This bar is famous for the Noble Pursuit, but you don’t have the ice you need to make it? Does nothing happen without my help in Hyrule? Did society just _stall_ for a hundred years until I woke up again? I realize that sounds terribly egotistical, but it sometimes feels like I’m the only person who actually ever _does_ anything.

Ugh, I need to get off my high horse. Other people do things, I’m probably just too self-absorbed to notice it.

So I fetched the ice, which is easier said than done, because if I stood in direct sunlight it would start _melting_ , so I had to stick to the shadows, and there were bokoblins and Lizalfos running around the place, and do you _know_ how hard it is to stab a bokoblin while you’re trying to keep a giant block of ice from disappearing into nothing? Sweet Hylia.

I got the bartender her ice in the end, though, and the bartender promised to make the “best Noble Pursuit ever.” Sure, whatever you say, lady. So I ask her for a sample to revive the woman stranded in the desert and the bartender said “Oh, no, silly vai, just tell her that there’s a Noble Pursuit waiting for her and she’ll come running,” and, really now, that just seemed like nonsense to me, your best customer is dying of dehydration in the desert and you think she’ll _run_ to Gerudo Town just because she can have her favorite drink?

But, whatever, I’ve gone _this_ far, I might as well see it through, so I caught another sand seal and rode over to the shrine. The stranded Gerudo hadn’t touched the water I left for her. I told her that there was a Noble Pursuit waiting for her in Gerudo Town, that the bartender described it as the “best one ever,” and you want to know what she did? That woman, who was languishing on the brink of death not two minutes ago, got up and _ran_ to Gerudo Town.

I…I just…can’t. How? What? How did that work? I think _I’m_ the one who needs a drink now, but apparently I’m not old enough, even though I’ve been alive for more than a century. Sure I was asleep for most of it, and I don’t remember the rest, but I think I’ve earned the right, darn it.

 

**Day 50**

So, that jerk Bozai who wants to “woo” me by sending me on what would be, for most, a fools errand to find the Eighth Heroine is going to eat his _socks_ when he finds out I found her. In a _day_. (Well, I only searched the Gerudo Highlands for a day. In this game where I made up the arbitrary rules, I won, and that’s what matters.)

It was a pain finding her, too. I ran across most of the Gerudo Highlands (and away from a Lynel.) There was giant stone sword on the Upper Peninsula. It looked pretty cool, so I took a picture of it. I’d wager its connected to the Eighth Heroine somehow, though how it got to be so far away from the rest of the statue, I couldn’t say.

(What if – hear me out, here – what if, millennia ago, the statues of the Heroines were _alive_ and they went to _battle_ but the Eighth Heroine was disgraced and cast her sword aside in _shame_. That would be _awesome_. The battle bit, not the shame bit.)

Anyway, I found the Eighth Heroine at the Northwestern end of the peninsula and got the picture Bozai wanted. And tomorrow I will rub it in his face. And steal his boots. It will be great.

 

**Day 51**

Turning Bozai down felt _great_. Gosh, he led by apologizing for lying and sending me on wild goose chase (jerk move, to start), and I got to cut him off when he was going on about how impossible finding the Eighth Heroine would be and said “I found it.” He stammered a bit, denied the truth, so I pulled out my picture of the Eighth Heroine.

Bozai waffled a bit over whether the picture was accurate, but I wasn’t about to take any of that, and demanded the boots. The guy still tried to come on to me, but I turned him down. I wouldn’t be so hard on Bozai, but, seriously, he spends his day creeping around outside of Gerudo Town, probably bothering the guards, more interested in flirting than his supposed research. I consider it a service to the people of Gerudo Town to con him out of his boots.

Seriously, though, the Sand Boots are a revelation. I’ll come back later to see if I can convince him to give me the Snow Boots back. I liked them. They will be mine.

Since I found the Eighth Heroine, I figured I should visit the other seven, so I got directions to their location from a Gerudo scholar. Activating the shrine of the Seven Heroines guard was a chore – I had to match the symbol on their person with an orb, a task that involved a lot of climbing up and down giant statues.

I’m camping for the night in a ruined cabin – a journal was left here describing how to activate another shrine. It has to do with casting a shadow in the correct direction, so I will have to wait for daylight in order to start on the puzzle.

 

**Day 52**

I spent most of the day babysitting a snowball, essentially. And I never even got around to building a snowman…oh well. In any case, I parsed out the secret of the shrine and didn’t die in the process, unlike the person who tried before me, so that’s all well and good.

It’s almost morning now – I only just found the shrine in the center of this labyrinth after running around for ten hours. At least I found some cool loot. I’ve decided that I am thoroughly tired of the desert, and of snow. I’m going back to Central Hyrule – I want to see some grass and trees.


	8. The Great Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For tiny sentient trees, Koroks are surprisingly huggable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers through the Great Forest region, and Memory #16 (Despair). Further warning for angst in Day 53 associated with Memory #16, and an authorial not-necessarily-canon presumption that arguably should be edited, but that I wrote months ago and drew on later in the story, and thus do not have the energy to edit out.

**Day 53**

Perhaps I should have stayed in the desert, after all – at least the rocks and sand don’t trigger horrific, emotionally fraught memories. I’ve spent the whole afternoon on the brink of tears. I found a Korok (I had to push a boulder into place to find them, but the boulder wasn’t cooperating, so I may have tried to punch a boulder, and now my hand hurts) and once the forest spirit popped out, doing their usual “Ah ha ha! You found me!” routine I just started crying all over the poor creature.

For tiny sentient trees, Koroks are surprisingly huggable. And they – or this one, at least – are surprisingly good listeners. I’ll try to tell it better here, I blubbered through most of the explanation I gave the Korok.

I talked to Pikango at the stable today, showed him a picture of a wooded scene. He recognized it as the woods across the river from the stable, so I traveled there. I wasn’t expecting much – maybe to remember a conversation with Zelda, like the one by the lake.

I did remember a conversation with Zelda, I suppose, but I also remembered the worst moment in my life. Sweet Hylia, even just thinking about it now…

I remember the attack of Calamity Ganon. I remember how the Guardians tore across the countryside, my fellow soldiers, all of Hyrule Castle, Castle Town blown apart by the mechanisms that were meant to protect them. I remember the moment when the Divine Beasts turned against the Champions, trapping Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk within. I remember failing to turn the tide against the darkness, fleeing with Zelda.

And that is where this little patch of woods come in, so small they don’t even have a name. Zelda and I escaped Calamity Ganon along this path, me pulling her along, aware of little else in the world but the feel of her hand in my own, the weight of the sword that should have sealed the darkness, why didn’t it seal the darkness? in my other hand.

My body was a mess of injuries – I can recall the feel of burns, abrasions, broken ribs, a foot in such bad condition that I couldn’t bear to dwell on it. It hurt to breathe. Zelda collapsed in that forest, overcome with grief, openly displaying the hurt that I was too far into shock to express. She blamed herself for not coming into the power to seal Calamity Ganon away, for the destruction wrought by Calamity Ganon when he seized control of the ancient Sheikah devices Zelda worked tirelessly on to be a defense against him.

Zelda doesn’t deserve that blame. I thought it then, and I know it now. I tried to convey that to her then, held her close as the world turned to ash around us, but I was never good with words. I think I am better, now, that losing my memory helped me overcome whatever it was that made me so unwilling to speak, back then. I think I’d be able to help Zelda better now, to tell her that it wasn’t her doing, but Ganon’s; that she did everything she could, and that I held nothing but respect and awe for her.

Urbosa’s message that she wanted to pass along to Zelda makes a lot more sense to me, now. She did blame herself, then. When we defeat Ganon, soon, I will make sure she doesn’t simmer in that misplaced guilt. I promise it.

The Korok I cried on told me that the sword that seals the darkness is being kept safe within the Great Hyrule forest, and that if I follow the road I should reach the forest soon enough. I need to step it up. Maybe, if I had been able to hear the ancient voice within the sword…no. That may be true, but I can’t dwell on it.

Urbosa said things happened the way they needed to, that there was nothing we could have done better or differently. I will trust her words.

 

**Day 54**

I feel more centered today. I found a couple more shrines – one involved a puzzle where I had to strike a ball with a hammer, a task which was initially therapeutic, but soon became an exercise in annoyance – it is very to difficult to aim with a giant hammer, after all.

I take my rest for the night here at the Woodland Stable. I came in in the dead of night, so I will pick the minds of the locals in the morning.

 

**Day 55**

The Woodland Tower is located in just about the most inconvenient place possible. It combines both the terrible base of the Wasteland Tower (in the center of a bog) with the lethality of the Central Tower (surrounded by actual hordes of enemies). The bog came with an electric Lizalfos that swam around menacingly. Really, that Lizalfos was the biggest problem. The Moblins and Bokoblins were easy enough to take care of – stab them with a spear and push them in the bog and they’re done for. The Lizalfos, though? Those jerks can _swim_.

Also, this region has a serious lightning problem. It crackles across the sky restlessly, the entire air permeated with the sour smell of problem. I noticed some of my metal weapons beginning to spark, so I had to switch to my wooden weapons, which did nothing to make my fight up to the Woodland Tower any easier.

It’s kind of funny, the Woodland Tower sprung up right in the center of Moblin and Bokoblin encampment – the tip of the Tower still has the trademark skull on top of it.

Well, that trial is behind me now. I am camped with Inogo, my horse, at the entrance of the Great Hyrule Forest. I leave in the morning.

 

**Day 56**

There’s been a bit of a setback. The Master Sword requires a certain level of strength from its wielder, strength that I currently do not possess. If the Deku Tree had not stopped me, the effort of trying to remove the blade from its pedestal would have killed me.

I don’t have to time to be killed by my own sword.

This also impresses upon me just how much my initial bout with Calamity Ganon cost me, in terms of strength, mental and physical. I try not to examine it over much, but my body is littered with scars and burns, and though they appear long healed over…well. I will recover the strength I once held, and wield the sword that seals the darkness.

The Koroks have offered to help me with that: they have a series of trials they use to mark the progression of young Koroks into adulthood. They will allow me to attempt those same trials, in an effort to increase my mental and physical strength: I already completed one today, the trial of second sight. The trial was simple enough – I merely had to use the magnesis rune on my Sheikah Slate to follow a path of trees with iron boulders in their mouths (digression: the trees in this forest are super creepy, with weird, demonic faces. I really, really, hope those trees aren’t like, super old Koroks or something. I _like_ the Koroks. I don’t want their ultimate end to be as a scary tree.) to reach my ultimate goals of a Shrine near a lake.

Getting lost in the woods here is an odd sensation. The mists thicken, there is a sound of giggling…and then I am returned to where I started. The Lost Woods here don’t feel malignant to me. It feels more as if leading travelers in the woods astray is an old game to _them_ , whoever they are, an outlet for pent up mischief. The forces at work here in the forest feel ancient to me in a way that the Sheikah technology does not.

That reminds me of the Deku Tree. I am sleeping on a bed inside the hollow of his trunk, right now. I did not recognize the Deku Tree when I first approached the glen where the Master Sword is waiting. When the massive tree rumbled and addressed me as an old friend, I was startled, but regained my composure quickly enough. A part of my brain went well, of course there is an ancient talking tree watching over Hyrule, how could you forget?

  like the Deku Tree, and the Koroks, and even getting lost in the woods. I feel, when I’m here, as if I am within my element in a way I do not while exploring the desert dunes. I hope this journey will bear fruit, and that, after completing the Korok’s trials, I will have the strength to wield the sword that seals the darkness once again.

(Another digression, but: how considerate are the Koroks? They set up a little bed, shop, and kitchen just for my use, to make me more comfortable during my time here. The care they have taken in hosting me is humbling.)

 

**Day 57**

For the Second of the Korok Trials I had to stalk a little Korok named Oaki. It didn’t feel like much of a trial, though – Oaki was just too cute! Whenever the little Korok broke into a little run, they would start to jingle, almost as if Oaki was wearing little miniature maracas, like the ones Hestu has.

I’m glad I did follow Oaki, though. There was a wolf in the woods – it would have been awful for Oaki to face that threat alone. I will attempt the Trial of Wood tomorrow, after I have rested.

 

**Day 58**

The Trial of Wood was just about the worst experience I’ve had this century. Thunderblight Ganon? Nothing. That one bokoblin who nearly beat me to death with a stick when I still had no idea who I was? Nothing. Sneaking past the entire Yiga Clan? Please, I eat bananas for breakfast.

The Trial of Wood takes the cake. It sounds the simple enough – using only wooden Korok weapons, make your way to the shrine. In practice, it is a hellish dash through a gamut of enemies that keeping shooting fire arrows at you, with a large chance of getting “lost” in the mist or drowning in the swamp.

First, the mist. I am not lost. I moved to the opposite side of this tree because a skeleton was shooting arrows at me. That does not mean I’m lost. Unfortunately, whatever impish entity controls the mists disagrees with that notion.

Second, the swamp. The aptly named “Mido Swamp.” Now, I don’t really know why the very idea of the name “Mido” makes my blood boil with utter disdain and annoyance. It is just a fact of life, and I’ve come to accept it. What I do know, though, is that I have crawled out of the Mido Swamp at least five times today. My clothing is coated with sludge.

In the end, I made it to the shrine. I received a token for my supposed spiritual growth from the monk within the shrine. I don’t really feel like my spirit has grown, but if the monk says so, sure.

I’ve completed the Korok trials, so I will attempt to draw the sword that seals the darkness from its pedestal in the morning. For now, I will wash the sludge from my clothing and do my best to feel like a person again.

 

**Day 59**

Once again, I hold the Master Sword. The weight of the sword feels _right_ in my hands, somehow, the length of the blade a comfort. I had a vision when I held the sword aloft, of Zelda, still dressed in her ceremonial garb but tattered with the wear of a lengthy escape, plunging the sword into its pedestal, in wait of the day where I would be recovered from my injuries.

The sword was dented in my vision, its blade pocked with marks and dull from overuse. It’s edge is clear now. Time and magic regenerated it, much as I was restored from my own injuries.

Zelda spoke to the Deku Tree in my vision, spoke of the what the sword that seals the darkness bade for here to do in the face of Ganon’s power. Zelda appeared certain then, an air of determination fueling her steps, so different from the Zelda I remembered a week ago, as we fled together from Ganon. What changed between those two moments?

Zelda was moments from leaving a message for me with the Deku Tree. I wonder what she was going to say. She’ll have to tell me herself, when we seal Ganon away together.

I’m travelling to the Akkala region, now. It is past time I consulted with Robbie about ancient Sheikah technology, as Purah suggested I do so many weeks ago. Traveling to Akkala is easier said than done, though. Twice I have been ambushed by the Yiga Clan, their members stronger and more well equipped than ever. The bokoblins seem stronger, as well.

I think Ganon knows that I wield the Master Sword once again. I think he is becoming worried. Good, he should be.


	9. Akkala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reaching the apex of the Akkala Tower was an experience equal parts harrowing and melancholy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading, folks! Spoilers through the Akkala region, some specific mention of strategies.

**Day 60**

Turns out I took a bit of a wrong turn last night…whoops? The Foothill Stable is actually in the Death Mountain region, not Akkala. I don’t particularly want to scale a volcano known as Death Mountain at the moment. Daruk can be patient for a little bit longer.

Backtracking and taking the proper fork in the path was a simple enough affair, and I was even able to find the Shrine depicted in the painting on the wall in Foothill Stable.

I’m a little confused about the timeline on that painting, though. It shows a tableau of Death Mountain, Foothill Stable, and a shrine, glowing yellow. My understanding though, is that most of the shrines appeared recently, sprouting out of the ground like a hundred misshapen daisies. Perhaps this shrine was one unearthed at the same time as the Divine Beasts, a century ago? Or is the painting very new, completed within the past couple months since my awakening?

I suppose I could go back and ask…but that would be far too much effort. I’m at the South Akkala Stable, now. I’d have to pull out my Sheikah Slate, select where I want to teleport to, appear there, _talk_ to a person (gross). No, much better to just remain here with Inogo, my faithful horse who I have bribed into liking me.

 

**Day 61**

Reaching the apex of the Akkala Tower was an experience equal parts harrowing and melancholy. It is a dangerous location – flying Guardians patrol all of the routes up the ruined citadel where the tower is perched, and there are also many bokoblins, fierce opponents in their own right.

The melancholy of the experience is worse though than the heat of Guardian lasers – I, at least, have Mipha’s gift to help me recover from the blast. The soldiers that fell here a century past do not. Most marks of their presence have been overrun by Ganon’s forces, or covered in the Calamity’s disgusting goopy essence. There are a few cannons, pots, rusted weapons, and the stones themselves – but all else has been torn away.

I met a Hylian on the ruins of the bridge leading to this tower. I rescued him from a Moblin, and he shared with me the story of this citadel – of how it was the last place to stand aside from Fort Hateno, and how its fall marked the fall of the forces of Hyrule. The Hylian came to honor his ancestors, who perished here, in this citadel, a century ago.

I will leave a Silent Princess on the tower. An offering to the spirits here, perhaps, or a reminder of the war Zelda wages against Calamity Ganon even now within Hyrule Castle. At the stable, someone joked that there really isn’t anything in the Akkala region. Perhaps there isn’t, right now. But there was. And there will be.

 

**Day 62**

Has it really only been a day? It feels like I’ve traveled so far since the morning…

I left Akkala tower by paraglider, headed to the shrine perched on the hill. This shrine was a test of strength, where I had to face a Guardian Scout in single battle. It wasn’t too difficult…but that’s likely because I froze the machine with the stasis rune then whacked it with an ax, rinse and repeat.

Right next to the shrine I found another Great Fairy, this one with even less respect for personal space than the last. She didn’t just blow a kiss at me, she came at me, lips pursed, and _smooched_ me, and mind you, her face is about the size of my entire body. It’s just… a lot. I appreciate the magic involved, I really do enjoy having armor that is more effective at keeping me alive, but the kissing is starting to be a bit much.

Also, 1,000 rupees? I’m not made out of money.

I traveled north from the Great Fairy, well, until I got distracted by the giant sand spiral off the coast. Then I went and investigated that. The spiral ended up being the path to a shrine in the center – but in order to activate the shrine, I needed to transport an orb to the center, a task complicate by the many Moblins and Lizalfos camped out there.

I circumvented some of this issue by taking the orb, using stasis, and whacking it with a hammer to the inner part of the spiral. Much simpler than trying to babysit the orb while slaying Moblins. I’ve only got so many hours in the day.

After that, I swam back up to shore and made my way to the East Akkala Stable, which has markedly better customer service than the West Akkala Stable, even if they do charge you for snacks.

Robbie’s Tech Lab should be just a little further North from here, according to the directions from one of the people at the stable. Barring complications, I should arrive before noon tomorrow.

 

**Day 63**

Robbie is…a lot. On the one hand, he is willing to equip me with the specialized gear needed to face Calamity Ganon and the army of Guardians he controls. On the other hand...he’s charging a lot of money for it. Seriously, the amount he is charging me is an affront to the nature of the mission he says he supports. Why not just _not_ charge the hero who is essentially facing Ganon alone and _give_ him the armor he needs to not die (or almost die) a horrible death at the hands of Calamity Ganon.

Robbie needed me to take of my shirt so that he could see the scars I have as proof that I am Link (while the Sheikah Slate and the Master Sword have been enough to convince everyone else so far). This means that he was there when the Calamity attacked last time, that he saw me when I was almost dead, and that, despite being on hand to see me almost succumb to my wounds is _still_ curmudgeonly enough to charge me premium prices for armor and weaponry. Just take an IOU, Robbie, I can pay you back after I save the world.

I should have just said it. But no, here I am, sitting by the fire with Inogo, ranting in writing what I’m too polite to say to Robbie’s ridiculous face. I hope Purah runs him out of business.

Oh, another thing. Robbie’s wife. She’s about what, fifty years younger than him? I know its none of my business, but I’ve already decided I don’t like Robbie, so I’m going to go ahead and say that I think there’s something weird going on there. I guess Sheikah have slightly longer lifespans than the average Hylian…but I’m still not convinced the whole situation is appropriate.

It’s not any of your business, Link. Just take the Guardian Arrows and run, Link.

I’ll move on in the morning. There’s a labyrinth just north of here, and I’d bet all of my left socks there’s a shrine there.

 

**Day 64**

Picture this: the room is wide and dark, misshapen mounds of metal dotted through, a menace lurking in wait. A single chest lies in the middle of the room, a temptation too sweet to ignore.

It’s a trap. Upon opening the chest, the Guardians come to life, as if the click of the lock was their signal. Within a moment, six different lasers are pointed at you, charging, the blasts imminent. They fire. You’re struck one, two, three, four times in succession. Only Mipha’s Grace saves you, heals your wounds before you can succumb to the pain.

Desperately you duck behind the weathered remains of a Guardian, and the ancient metal the only barrier between you and the devilish sights of the still-functioning Guardians, whose metal heads are whirling and twirling in search of you.

Yeah, that was my day. After spending hours running through a labyrinth, this Guardian death-trap was the culmination of my labors. Honestly, though, the Diamond circlet I found made the whole ordeal kind of worth it. Not to mention, I got my own. In the early hours of the morning, when the world is all but asleep, I destroyed the Guardians beneath the labyrinth, one after another.

I shot arrows into their mechanical eyes to stun them, then swung a Claymore in a great loop, hacking the machines to pieces, one after the other. By the end of it, none remained. So what if you’ve got an army of death laser machines, Ganon? I’ve got Urbosa’s Fury. Bring it.

 

**Day 65**

I met an odd person today. I’m fairly certain he’s Hylian, but I could be incorrect. His name is Kilton, and he loves monsters. A lot, apparently. I lied about liking monsters, too, in order to get him to talk to me more. Was…was that bad? I lied to Kilton without even thinking about it. Now he thinks that I ADORE monsters, when that is about as far from the truth as you can get.

I think monsters are vile nuisances that regularly make my day worse, and present a real and present threat to the people of Hyrule, particularly so long as Calamity Ganon’s Blood Moon continually resurrects them.

Kilton disappeared in a puff of smoke before I could clarify my position on monsters (digression: I wonder how Kilton teleports? I use ancient Sheikah technology, is there a variant that Kilton uses? Or does he teleport the same way the Yiga Clan does? Always more questions…) so I suppose I will need to find him when he sets up shop near one of the villages.

I will head south, to Faron, tomorrow. That’s where I assume I can find the dragon Farosh. I need some shards from their horn to strengthen my Champion’s Tunic, according to the Great Fairy.

 


	10. Faron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was, somehow, an axe wedged into the roof, which was acting as a lightning rod. Really, how did it get up there? I understand that, on the scale of mysteries plaguing Hyrule, the “ax on the roof” hardly rates, but it still strikes me as odd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Spoilers through the Faron region, and Eventide Island. 
> 
> Oh, and it appears as if Link makes it through Eventide Island on his first go in the text. That is false. The Hinox was the bane of my existence, and it took me three tries and far too much strategizing to topple that beast.

**Day 66**

I’m almost out of arrows. Seriously, I’ve only got nine left. Well, discounting all of my elemental and bomb and guardian arrows…but still. I’m probably going to end up spending the whole morning teleporting to different vendors to buy enough arrows to keep me in business.

 

**Day 67**

I bought the arrows. Thank Hylia for instant transportation.

After that chore was finished, I started my foray into the Faron woods, and soonnfound a shrine. I had to use to two bombs at once to launch a giant stone block into the air, which was fun. 

Kass, the Rito musician, shared an ancient song with me. Apparently there is a shrine “in the dragons maw.” I checked out the map, and there’s a river that looks a bit like a dragon, so I’ll travel to its source tomorrow.

 

**Day 68**

The Faron woods giveth, and the Faron Woods taketh away. 

What do they give? The king of all fruits, the Durian. I’ve already collected twelve of these wonderful spiky globes, and from what my Sheikah Slate tells me, if I cook them up, they will be just as effective and filling as Hearty Radishes are.

Which is good, because there are a lot of monsters around hear. I traveled upriver, following the implicit directions in the ballad Kass shared with me, and I did eventually find the Spring of Courage. First, though, I had to fight my way past several Lizalfos, some armed with shock arrows, one with a royal claymore, another with so much vitality that the only way I could end the creature before it regained its strength was to freeze it, strike it, then freeze it again, in a loop.

The unfortunate part is that I have not yet retrieved Farosh’s scale, so I wasn’t able to access the shrine behind the Spring of Power. I left my transportation rune near the spring, though, so when I do retrieve the scale, I’ll be able to reach it quickly. I will head deeper into the forest in the morning.

 

**Day 69**

I’m at the top of the Forest Tower, now. More of the same there, really. Though, the local stable had an interesting extra feature. There was, somehow, an axe wedged into the roof, which was acting as a lightning rod. Really, how did it get up there? I understand that, on the scale of mysteries plaguing Hyrule, the “ax on the roof” hardly rates, but it still strikes me as odd.

I can see the dragon Farosh making its way down the river from the Forest Tower. I’ll aim to be near the river tomorrow night – I need one of their scales, and a couple shards of their horn.

 

**Day 70**

The sheer amount of rain and lightning I’ve had to endure today is an affront to …something. I’m annoyed. And the thing is, I’m almost certain that the terrible weather was part of some convoluted test set by the Goddess. Who, apparently, can manipulate the weather. Because I refuse to believe that the Sheikah monks of 10,000 years ago can control the weather now. That would be too much. Just…too much. I’ll accept a lot, but not that.

Let me paint the series of events a little more clearly – I left the Forest Stable in the morning, and, in the course of my exploration of the Faron area, I encountered Kass. The Rito musician shared with me the “Song of Storms,” which basically instructed me to get lightning to strike a mound of stone.

Simple enough, I took a spare sword and placed it on top of the stone so that it would act like a lightning rod, much like the ax atop the stable had. What was odd was that as soon as I spoke to Kass the forecast predicted on my Sheikah Slate changed to thunderstorms for the remainder of the day. It wasn’t like that before. Starting the quest changed the weather.

And. AND. Once I did get lightning to strike the mound of stone, revealing the shrine underneath and did my usual meet and greet with the monk, I exited to find that the weather was _great_. Clear skies, some clouds rolling in a couple hours, when only a couple minutes earlier the sky was layered with dark, menacing storm clouds.

It _had_ to be the Goddess, right? No way the monks could control the weather like that. (Please.) 

I finished out the night by chasing Farosh on my paraglider – I managed to collect one of their scales, so I’ll bring that to the Spring of Power tomorrow. The dragon erupts out of the highest lake, so I’ll stake that out tomorrow to get a shard of its horn.

 

**Day 71**

So, according to my observations yesterday, the Goddess has some measure of control over the weather. I would like to formally submit a request for all rain to be postponed until I reach the top of whichever cliff I am climbing.

That is all.

(Oh, and I reached the shrine behind the Spring of Power and got one of Farosh’s scales. Similar plan for tomorrow, with a different shrine of course.)

 

**Day 73**

It’s been a couple days – I didn’t stop to rest last night. I reasoned that, since the weather was clear, it was best to press on right away. Trying to go anywhere while it’s raining around here is a pain.

Enough grousing – I helped a pair find true love today at the Lover’s Pond. I need to write Muava, the elderly gerudo woman who keeps the Goddess Statue company in Gerudo Town, about it. She spent a long time looking for the Lover’s Pond in her youth.

The pond itself is a wonder – if in a bit of an understated way. It is in the shape of a perfectly symmetrical heart. And Hearty Radish plants surround it, a practical benefit (for me).

There were a pair of people by the pond, one a Gerudo name Perda, the other a Hylian name Wabbin. They were on opposite shores, and too nervous to approach each other (well, to be more precise, Wabbin was too anxious to speak to Perda. Perda was weighing her options). I helped Wabbin out, giving him a Blue Nightshade (the perfect flower, apparently. I prefer the Silent Princess myself, but to each their own), and, when he lost his nerve, giving Perda the Blue Nightshade on his behalf. Perda accepted the gift in the spirit it was meant, and once they started to actually talk to each other they proved to share a spark of sorts.

Most importantly, Perda kept Wabbin from being a cheapskate, so I’m in favor.

I made it to Lurelin Village by evening. It’s a beautiful place, situated by the seaside. One family was kind enough to share their dinner with me. I’ve heard word that there is a camp of monsters poaching one of the best fishing spots – I’ll head over to the beach where they are located right after the next Blood Moon. That should give the fishers as much time as possible to fish there before the monsters return.

 

**Day 75**

Sweet Hylia, I’m tired. I didn’t get a chance to rest last night, because of the quest I was pursuing.

It started in Lurelin Village a couple days ago. A child, Kuta, offered to show me the Palmorae Ruins. I accepted Kuta’s offer, of course, because if there is one thing I’ve learned over the past 75 days, it’s that most of the time ancient ruins are literally intended for me to explore.

This held true with the Palmorae Ruins. A man from Lurelin Village, Garini, was at the ruins, trying to translate what was written on the stone disk featured there. He asked me to find the fragments of disk that were scattered around the area and transcribe the symbols on them, so he could translate the full message.

In theory, an easy enough task. In practice…still easy, but it took awhile. Tracking down the fragments was difficult – in the daylight, they tend to blend in with the scenery. At night, though, the writing glows, making them easier to locate. I worked through the night, racing up and down the beach (thank goodness for the sand boots) to find fragments and take a picture of them. 

It took all night, but in the morning I was able to present Garini with the photos, and he was able to translate the writing. Garini is a wicked smart Hylian – I should try to introduce him to Purah, it would be interesting to see what he would make of ancient Sheikah technology. We activated the shrine by kneeling on a pair of glowing platforms, and I engaged in the usual visit with the monks.

I finished out the day by visiting a couple more shrines – one at the top of the cliff (that took quite a while to climb), and another in the middle of the ocean. The Blood Moon rose tonight, so I will head out to Aris Beach in the morning to clear out the monsters there.

 

**Day 76**

I think I took a wrong turn. Instead of encountering a cohort of monsters, I met a young Hylian woman on the beach, who, quite frankly, was not _entirely_ with it. And now I don’t know where she went. Quite frankly, I’m worried. I might put a notice out to the Stable Association to look out for a young woman with pigtails and an alarming obsession with Guardians. 

Really, I can only blame myself. When I first encountered the young woman (I think her name was Loone, if I recall properly. There are far too many names.) she was camped out near a defunct Guardian, fondling one of the sacred orbs. You know, the kind the Sheikah Clan considered a Sacred Heirloom and the Gerudo thought made a good prize for winning a sand seal racing competition. Loone took a different tack, naming her orb Roscoe and caressing it lovingly.

The platform where Roscoe the orb belonged was only feet away. I had to steal Roscoe. Unfortunately, my initial attempts to coerce Loone into giving me Roscoe were unsuccessful, and her grip on the orb was iron. I had to target Loone’s weakness, her hidden desire to see all sorts of Guardians.

I already had a couple pictures of Guardians stored on my Sheikah Slate, so all I had to do to sate Loone’s desire to see a small, walking and flying Guardian was pop over to Akkala Tower and take a picture of the flying Guardian surveying the area there.

I showed the trio of pictures to Loone and she was so enamored with the images of the Guardians that she relinquished the orb without a second thought (though she did want to take my Sheikah Slate. I shut that down fast, though. I need this Slate.) Eagerly, I grabbed Roscoe the orb and placed it in the platform, revealing the shrine. 

I went into the shrine, beat up a Guardian (small world), and when I came back out Loone was gone. And now I’m worried, and I feel guilty, and I’ve looked around but I can’t find her and I’m scared that she’s going to approach a Guardian and try to give it a hug and then be zapped to death.

I’ll look for Loone more in the morning, and take care of the monsters on Aris beach.

 

**Day 77**

Good news first: Loone is fine. She was just behind one of the defunct Guardians. 

Bad news: the monks have gone too far this time and stolen _all of my stuff_. Seriously, I was left with nothing but my undershorts and the Sheikah Slate, and was told “you’ll get your things back once you put these orbs back where they belong.” Until then, I am stuck on Eventide Island, which, by the way, is not an idyllic seaside refuge, but instead _teeming with monsters._  

I didn’t want to end my day whacking a bokoblin over the head with an _oar_. Or worse, tossing a metal chest at them and waiting for lightning to strike – these are the kinds of awful strategies I come up with when all of my weapons and clothes and food are stolen.

They even took the Master Sword. That’s not okay. The Master Sword is _important_ , I can’t have it being disappeared by ancient monks who are overinvested in my spiritual growth. 

So. I’m going to chill by this nice warm fire until morning, and then I’m going to clear out all of the monsters on this island, put those orbs back where they came from, and get my sword back.

 

**Day 78**

 

Well, there are now far fewer monsters on Eventide Island. The first set I had to face was composed only of bokoblins – though a couple were armed with bows. Its incredible how many hits it takes to fell a dark bokoblin when all you have is an oar, a rusty sword, and some boko spears that are better suited to fishing than monster stabbing. It was a frustrating battle, mostly because I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about how much easier this would have been yesterday morning.

The second battle was similar, but with more bokoblins, and an extra moblin just to add an extra wrinkle to the affair. The moblin and one of the bokoblins were armed with broadswords, too, which is simply not fair. Well, it was a bit useful, once they were struck by lightning. The lightning giveth, and the lightning taketh away. 

End of the story, I killed them all with the weather (and an oar) and cooked up a lot of food in their cook pot. With those two battles, I found and placed two of the orbs. Only the third remains. 

Unfortunately, that third orb is hanging around the neck of a hinox. …I’ll deal with it in the morning.

 

**Day 79**

 

Dealt with the hinox. It was a close thing – it was only by freezing the creature in time with the stasis rune that I had the time to shoot the monster in the eye, stunning it. More annoying than fighting the hinox? Climbing up the cliff to reach the shrine when, halfway up, it starts to rain. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t quite manage to get a good enough grip on the stone to ascend. It took hours for the rain to pass, and just waiting at the bass of the cliff was an annoying use of time.

I’m officially done with the Faron region. I’m going to head somewhere with far less rain to deal with. Maybe the Hebra region?


	11. Hebra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This might be a controversial opinion, but I don’t think messing around with local weather patterns, possibly for millennia, is worth my incremental spiritual growth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Spoilers through the Hebra Mountain region and the Vah Medoh questline. 
> 
> Warnings: some bad language in this chapter. Mostly in the Day 87 entry, so if you want to skip that day you can.
> 
> Pairing Alert: there is now a pairing. It is the one that felt most appropriate for this telling of the story. I like other pairings in this fandom, but this development felt most in character for the world as I've built it here. Thanks for indulging me!
> 
> Other note: apologies in advance to Revali fans. Link is in a place to see the worst in him, so I wrote less about the good aspects of the character.

**Day 80**

I remembered something today, at the Sanadin Park Ruins. There’s a statue of a horse there, and a breathtaking of view of Hyrule. A hundred years ago, a day before Calamity Ganon struck and a day before Zelda’s seventeenth birthday, Zelda and I were there together. She rode a horse with a pure white coat, with the saddle and bridle of the royal family, while I had a black horse with white socks. Her name was Posie.

How can I only just now remember Posie, but miss her so much? Inogo looks so much like her that it almost hurts. I hope Posie made it through the Calamity safely. Maybe Inogo is a great grandchild of hers.

Zelda spoke about her determination to activate her sealing powers, and her hope that she might achieve on Mt. Lanayru in the Spring of Wisdom what had proven impossible at the Springs of Power and Courage. I know, now, that the Spring of Wisdom didn’t work, either. I wonder what eventually led Zelda to find her inner strength, after Calamity struck.

I am at the top of the Ridgeland Tower . It was a bit annoying to get up here – I ended up just swimming as quickly as I could to avoid all of the enemies armed with electricity here. Getting down will be easier, with my paraglider. There’s a man here running a flying challenge (well, he calls it research. To each their own, I suppose.) I might try that in the morning.

 

**Day 81**

Only a quick entry now – I was solving a shrine puzzle all night – but I managed to find four different shrines today! While I did the flying man challenge, I noticed a shrine in the gorge, so I went to go find it, but then a star fragment fell from the sky, so I went to get that instead and ran past the gorge. The star fragment was past a couple Guardians, so I had to use an ancient arrow to defend myself, but it was also near another shrine hidden amongst the rocks, and then that shrine was close to another… and so on.

Long story short, I’m on a roll! And it hasn’t rained!

 

**Day 82**

It rained. I should have just stayed away…but I was curious. There was a lone thundercloud hovering over the weird mushroom trees, what was I supposed to do, ignore it? I don’t think I could ever do that.

And you know what? This time the rain is _definitely_ the monks’ fault, without a shadow of a doubt. They manipulated the weather so that it would always be raining on the Thundra Plateau, just so they could test me today. I left the shrine and, guess what? The weather was clear. This might be a controversial opinion, but I don’t think messing around with local weather patterns, possibly for millennia, is worth my incremental spiritual growth.

I mean, how much did I really learn from having the act of climbing up the side of statues to grab orbs made more difficult because of the rain? Very little. Am I going to need to fight Ganon in a thunderstorm? Unlikely, since it seems like the monks control the weather. So what’s the point?

Okay, I’m done grousing. I better be done with the rain, now, though.

 

**Day 83**

I remembered something today. I suppose there’s a reason that the Silent Princess is my favorite flower – it was Zelda’s favorite, too. They’re a flower that can only grow in the wild, and they were dying out, a hundred years ago. Now, though, I can find them growing near fairy fountains and other sacred spaces. Just yesterday I found a half dozen growing beneath a blooming cherry tree.

We were on a hillside, together, one hundred years ago, sitting amongst the flowers, Hyrule Castle within sight. I can remember how happy Zelda looked, out in the wild. She wasn’t ever happy in the castle, or, at least not that I saw. It was when we journeyed through Hyrule, doing research and visiting the other Champions that Zelda flourished.

I was in awe of her intellect. Zelda knows so much about everything – from ancient technology, to flora and fauna, to the text of every legend left to Hyrule.

I keep going around the point in my mind, to shy to even put the thought, the feeling, to words. But I was too, I don’t know, shy? Withdrawn? Socially stunted? Scared, even, to say anything before. It’s the truth, though – I was (am, maybe, who knows) helplessly in love with Zelda.

Not Princess Zelda, but the Zelda who loved flowers, and knew far too much about the properties of frogs, and took pictures of everything with her Sheikah Slate. Her conviction and drive was an inspiration, her words my motivation, her smile a revelation. I would have followed her anywhere, if she wanted me to.

Oh, dear Hylia. She’s still in Hyrule castle, keeping Ganon from destroying Hyrule. How long has she waited for me there? Is she in pain, or lonely, or growing weary? I can hardly bear to think of it. I need to hurry. I’m tempted to go to Hyrule Castle now – but I shouldn’t, not without freeing the other Divine Beasts. This is our last, our only shot. I can’t waste it by dashing off to face Ganon without the full force of the Champions behind me.

 

**Day 84**

I’ve traveled to the Hebra tower, using the path that circles around the canyon, today. I need to invest in some more warm clothing, soon. The weather here is cold enough that my warm doublet alone is not enough to stave off the chill. I find that if I keep my flame sword equipped, that’s enough to keep me comfortable, but sometimes I need to use a different weapon, leaving me chilled.

Rito Village is at the end of this path, according to the directions I’ve received from the Stable workers. If all goes well, I should arrive there tomorrow.

 

**Day 85**

The Rito Village is nice, except for the Divine Beast zooming around above it menacingly. That’s a bit of an eyesore. I talked with the Rito elder, Kenali, about the problem. He was eager to receive my help – he saw the Sheikah Slate and assumed I was my own descendant – and directed me to speak with a Rito warrior training up North, who had already attempted to face the Divine Beast once.

It’s interesting – unlike with the Gerudo or Zora, the Rito knew that they needed to have a Champion with a Sheikah Slate tame the Divine Beast. You would think, with their longevity, the Zora would know…or perhaps no one ever told Sidon?

Regardless, instead of heading north, I went south, towards the tower in the region. I would prefer to have a map before trekking through the mountains as a matter of course. Honestly, I should have already reached the tower…but I got a bit (a lot) sidetracked. I’ll go there in the morning. Most likely. I was much better about following a direct path when I started this journey.

 

**Day 86**

I remembered something today…mostly that I was a socially repressed, before. It’s kind of funny, but for all that I am remembering more and more of my past, I can’t remember ever saying anything, to anyone. I was too tongue-tied to ever say anything to Zelda, I know that much. She was always so quick with her words, forging her own way forward when the traditions passed along the royal line failed her, even when her father undermined her research.

I speak more now, though I usually allow others to take the lead in conversation. Forgetting whatever social anxiety I used to hold about speaking has helped me with that, I think.

Zelda was annoyed with me, early on, because I was assigned as her bodyguard by the Old Man. In retrospect, I see her point, I just followed her around like a lost puppy, a silent shadow carrying a sword whose powers he couldn’t comprehend.

I don’t remember much else from that time, just Zelda – protecting Zelda, searching for Zelda, catching up to Zelda, being in awe of Zelda, being intimidated by Zelda. Did I ever spend time with my family? Did – did I have a family? I must have, right? A father, mother, mentor, something; nothing I’ve seen in Hyrule has jogged any of those memories, though.

Maybe at the castle, or in castle town.

 

**Day 87**

So, I remember Revali, now. Really, I wish I didn’t. I could have gone my whole life without recalling that arrogant asshole. When I remembered the other Champions, I recalled something profound, Mipha healing me, Urbosa summoning lightning from the sky.

Revali? I remember that one time he taunted me about not be able to _fly_. We can’t all have wings, you narcissistic dick. And then he went on about being the greatest archer _ever_ and how he can magically summon an updraft. You want an updraft? Go shoot some red chu jelly in some dry grass. Bam, updraft.

Revali acts like he’s Hylia’s gift to the world - and I can admit that he did good work, he was a great warrior, he did his best to defeat Calamity Ganon, fine – but that doesn’t give him the right to be such a huge jerk to everyone.

The way he singled me out gets on my nerves, too. He couldn’t possibly have been this awful to everybody in his life, right? The Rito named a platform after him, so he couldn’t have been disliked by his own tribe too much. I think Revali thought that _he_ should be the Hero wielding the sword that seals the darkness, and was annoyed that some upstart young Hylian had that (supposed) honor.

Really, I wouldn’t be so irked by his behavior if I had been able to give back as good as I got. But for him to insult me and _know_ that I wouldn’t ever say anything back…that speaks to a streak of cruelty that I can’t respect.

Ugh, and I’m going to be stuck on an ancient flying machine with his disembodied voice soon.

I suppose there’s nothing I can do about that. I didn’t fancy meeting Revali’s successor so immediately…what if he’s even more of an egotistical jerk? There’s only so much of that I can cope with in one day. So instead I popped back over to Gerudo Town to see if I could convince Bozai to give me his snow boots.

I could. It was a simple enough exchange – he tried to set me an impossible task (find the Eighth Heroine’s lost sword), and I complete that task. What made the whole affair even better was that the first time I traveled through the Gerudo Highlands I took a picture of the sword, so Bozai didn’t even have to time to sit down before I showed him proof of the swords existence.

A balm on my poor, beleaguered, soul. I also refused to go out with him. Really, Bozai needs to find a better way to talk to women than to attempt to manipulate them into spending time with him while searching for ancient statues. That isn’t a good basis for a relationship.

Though, what do I know about courtship. I just trailed Zelda around like an overzealous puppy (even if it was on the order of the King).

Tomorrow, I will speak with the warrior who will help me access Vah Medoh.

 

**Day 88**

I hold so much respect for Teba. Like Revali, he is an elite warrior of the Rito village, but unlike Revali, Teba isn’t an arrogant jerk. He fights because it’s his duty to his home and his family, even to the point of personal injury.

I can respect that.

Teba comes off as a bit standoffish – but also, I caught him at a pretty bad time, seeing as he was preparing to face a giant flying machine that fire lasers alone, armed with nothing but his wits, the power of flight, and some arrows.

Even with me taking down the laser canons with my bomb arrows as quickly as I could, Teba still got injured. When Teba made his strike plan, he deliberately chose to put himself to put himself in the most dangerous position, drawing the laser fire. He could have easily put me in that position while he shot the bomb arrows – I do, after all, own sturdier armor than him. I could recover from those hits. I do, practically daily.

But Teba took the more dangerous role anyway. Once I’m done with Vah Medoh, I should cook Teba a nice dinner as a thank you for being awesome.

Meanwhile, though…I’m stuck inside Vah Medoh, with Calamity Ganon’s oppressive essence oozing out of the walls, and, more fearsomely, Revali’s disembodied voice mocking me at every turn.

He started off with only a few waspish remarks about me taking too long – sorry for being in a coma, I didn’t see you faring any better against Calamity Ganon, you cocksure cockalorum. After I activated a few terminals, he really started laying on the insults, though, making fun of any hesitations I had while solving the puzzles in Vah Medoh or commenting on my hair.

But I’m not the same person I was a hundred years ago, not exactly. I’m not taking his jabs in silence anymore – I’m giving back everything he dishes out tenfold. It’s terribly cathartic.

He’s been mouthing off about how I’m stopping to write in this journal, so I said that he’s such a narcissist that he’s never stopped his self-reflection, might as well give me a few minutes to indulge. Revali is yelling about how I’m an entitled brat who’s always had everything handed to me on a silver platter, or some similar drivel. I suppose I’ll stop journaling and start yelling at the walls again.

 

**Day 89**

Thank goodness I’m out of Vah Medoh. Hanging out with the spirit of your angry coworker is not my favorite way to spend the day. The thing is, he’s so self-absorbed that when I defeated Windblight Ganon (and, just to be clear, Windblight Ganon is far less menacing and easier to defeat than Thunderblight and Waterblight Ganon were) he decided to “acknowledge” me, declare that I’m not a total waste of space, and gave me his special ability to make _updrafts_ , like he’s Hylia gifting the Triforce to Hyrule.

Great, now I can launch several meters into the sky a few times a day. That really makes up for an entire relationship founded on petty mockery and arrogant posturing, and no, I will never admit that your Gale thing is useful anywhere but in the privacy of this journal that you _made fun of me for keeping_.

I checked in with Teba – he’s back with his wife, recovering from his wound. I tried to clue him in to the fact that I’m the Hylian Champion, but he didn’t believe me. He still might not be entirely recovered from his wound, though, so I won’t hold it against him. Teba is a gift unto this world, and no one can convince me otherwise. I gave him some fruitcake, too, which I hope he liked.

The best part of my day was probably spent looking for tiny Rito children, to gather them for rehearsal over at Warbler’s Nest. One girl had a really big craving for salmon meuniére, and sent her sisters out looking for ingredients. It wasn’t too tough finding the other siblings with the salmon meuniére ingredients (salmon, goat butter, and tabantha wheat). The girl in the general store was particularly helpful about sharing where her other siblings were.

And, dare I say, I can cook a mean salmon meuniére once I have the ingredients all gathered. The kids all went to rehearsal after that, and it turns out they were practicing the song that held the key to a puzzle opening a shrine. I really don’t want to think about what kind of convoluted plan the monks charted out to make _that_ happen.

The shrine was a particularly awful one, too. After spending the day looking for brightly colored children to practice a song, activating a trap door in the following shrine that dropped me into a room where the floor was literally lava was a rude awakening.

I’m not ready for lava, yet. That’s next week’s problem. This week (tomorrow, even) I’m climbing the Hebra mountains. There’s apparently a giant white bird, or something. I’ll figure it out.


	12. Hyrule Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also, there is a memory I wish to access. I spent much of my life in this castle, though it now lies in ruins. I must face those ghosts – and better to work through my inevitable crises now than just before facing Calamity Ganon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Spoilers and specific strategy discussion for the Trial of the Sword. No, I did not do it in one try on Master Mode. It took me about a week. Additional Spoilers for the memory in Hyrule Castle.
> 
> Also, rampant backstory speculation, making this story officially less-canon.
> 
> And a BIG note: on the missing Days 90-93. They are gone, lost in the wind. I was doing some copying and pasting to get the days even and I guess I deleted those three, then saved my file. According to the Sheikah Slate records Link explored the Hebra mountains, going after the Shrines in the far northwest, then cut East on the Northern Border of the map, getting the shrines in that region, mainly the maze shrine. There were chances to face Lynels that Link skipped. The last day (I think) was the island of darkness, and Link mostly complained about this being another manifestation of the Monk's unnatural power over the land of Hyrule. and that, once again, his spiritual growth is not worth plunging an island into a thousand years of darkness for. He then, apparently, expressed his desire to visit Hestu? What an odd fellow.

**Day 94**

I just checked my previous journal…and well yes, I did visit Hestu. He’s a very pleasant Korok to visit. The Trials of the Sword were far less pleasant.

Allow me to detail a few of the standout encounters in the monk’s demonic playground. Seriously, inspired by the goddess my foot. My poor, bruised, foot.

The first room in the beginning trials is, in some ways, the very worst. It was in that place that the full reality of the trial facing me was revealed – this was like Eventide Island, but without the scenic ocean view. The only way to face the bokoblins there on equal grounds was to steal the rusted weapons from behind them and strike before they could retaliate. A strategy only learned through considerable hurt.

The Beginning Trial continued from there – each level more dizzying and monster ridden than the last. The best way to survive was to sneak attack when possible, or shoot the bokoblins and moblins from afar. I found myself using the stasis rune more than ever before, desperate to seize on just a couple more seconds to strike back.

It was on the tenth floor of the Beginning Trial that what was initially a difficult challenge became nigh impossible. There were only three enemies on that floor – but those enemies were Lizalfos. Lizalfos that were better armed, stronger, could swim, and spat out water bullets that could fell me as easily as the strike of a spear.

I failed the Beginning Trials several times because of that trio of Lizalfos, each time returning to myself, squaring my shoulders, and placing the Master Sword in the pedestal once more. I could not bear the thought of turning back, not with the memory of Zelda asking whether I could hear the voice within the sword that seals the darkness echoing in my head.

In the end I bested the Lizalfos through trickery. They are difficult to sneak up on initially, but if they are distracted by an arrow and then struck with a sneak attack – well, then, you are in business. After facing those Lizalfos, the Hinox that followed seemed a simple foe.

The Middle Trial was both better and worse – worse, because the foes were harder. Entire levels were cast in darkness, others featured battalions of bokoblins wielding elemental arrows. It was easier overall, though. I understood the rhythm of the trial now, knew which tricks to employ, knew to stockpile my best weapons to use against the worst enemies.

The Final Trial contained its own set of horrors. The gamut of enemies I faced off against seemed almost endless. At a certain point, I wondered how it could possibly escalate further. The first section took place in an endless artificial thunderstorm, where I faced off against skeletal enemies. This wouldn’t have been a difficult challenge, if there hadn’t been a herd of mounted skeletal bokoblins that charged me. The second section was a fiery hell scape. I imagine these are the conditions I will face at Death Mountain. Thankfully, I was armed with a frost blade, so many of the fiery enemies fell in a single blow. The same can be said for the next, icy, section, where I wielded a flame spear to great effect. The final enemy in this section was a Lynel. I chose to shoot it with an ancient arrow instead of engaging it in single combat. I stand by that decision.

The final section of the Final Trial was brimming with Guardians. Thankfully, I found enough Ancient Arrows in the early trials to deal devastating blows to the machines with relative ease. I simply had to be faster and sneakier, for the most part. The only sticking point was the final level, where I was faced with a Lynel, a turret Guardian, and almost a dozen mounted bokoblins. The only way I survived was by taking the Lynel down with an Ancient Arrow (I missed with my first shot, so I had to scramble across the field, looking for where it fell while dodging the beast’s blows. I didn’t miss again), abusing the power of the blizzard rod to freeze the bokoblins off their horses, and whack the turret Guardian several times with a sword until it stopped trying to target me.

But I did it. In the end, I faced the monks, and pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal for the final time. When I did…it was all worth it. The Master Sword glowed with spiritual light – even now, it shimmers merrily. Before I wielded the sword much like I would any other weapon – I felt a presence from the sword, and I thought that was enough. But now…the sword that seals the darkness feels alive, and awake, in a way it never has before.

I heard the voice, the ancient voice Zelda spoke of. It greeted me as a friend, as a comrade in arms, and with a vastness of care I cannot entirely comprehend.

The Trial of the Sword was a terrible experience – but I cannot regret it, not if it has awoken the Master Sword once more. I no longer fear the challenges that await me on the Death Mountain, or the Guardians that surround Hyrule castle. I’m almost ready to face Calamity Ganon, I know it: there are only a couple more hurdles left to overcome.

 

**Day 95**

I’ve decided to scout out Hyrule Castle before going to Death Mountain. I considered waiting to enter the castle until I was ready to face Ganon, but there are rumors of weapons stashes remaining in the castle, even with all of the monsters roaming around the place. Also, there is a memory I wish to access. I spent much of my life in this castle, though it now lies in ruins. I must face those ghosts – and better to work through my inevitable crises now than just before facing Calamity Ganon.

I entered the castle from the back, swimming up waterfalls to avoid most of the Guardians patrolling the structure, then exploring the maze of subterranean caverns below the castle. When I approached the castle, Calamity Ganon roared, and threatened to attack. I think Zelda intervened – I saw a golden light. I think she’s confined him in the center of Hyrule Castle, so if I stay clear of there I shouldn’t be attacked. Since arriving, I’ve stumbled across the dock, a shrine, and the library.

It’s eerie, walking these halls, knowing that a hundred years ago I lived and worked here, that the discarded swords I find belonged to my comrades-at-arms. The Library is patrolled by Lizalfos – thankfully none so infuriating as the trio in the Beginning Trial. I haven’t seen so many books in all my time since awakening in the Shrine of Ressurection – so much knowledge has been destroyed or kept out of reach for so long.

I also found the King’s Study, behind a false bookshelf. The Old Man kept a journal, starting with the day of Zelda’s birth. He wrote of his sorrow at the loss of his wife. Zelda was only six. It hurts to think of how painful that loss must have been for her. The Old Man was hard on Zelda, berating her whenever she took time to research the Divine Beasts and Ancient Shiekah Technology instead of trying to access her sealing magic. I understand the Old Man’s reasons – he had a kingdom to protect – but to lay such a burden squarely on Zelda’s shoulders seems a hard judgment to me.

Though I’m entirely besotted with Zelda, so my perspective is a bit skewed in her favor.

Well. I’ll continue to explore the castle tomorrow. I’ll grab whatever rest I can while Ganon’s foul presence taints the air.

 

**Day 96**

The days here in Hyrule Castle seem longer, somehow. Though perhaps that is because for every moment I walk these halls, I begin to remember two. Once I came to the Guard’s armory, the memories started to come, a dire succession of eating and training and dreaming of being _useful_ , somehow. I remember names and faces, but each slide in and out of each other, images and ideas refusing to superimpose into any sort of coherent tableau.

Little moments come to me most clearly – jumping off a staircase to the chagrin of my fellow guards, trying to climb up the inner funnel of the fireplace in the banquet hall, back-flipping away from a strike in the middle of combat. I suppose I was…restless, in the castle. There wasn’t ever enough room for me to breathe.

Zelda felt like that, too. I never told her about any of this.

I never spoke, not that I can recall. I still don’t know why.

 

**Day 97**

You know what’s messed up? I only remembered my father when I went down to the dungeons – or the “lock up”, I suppose I should say. Or maybe I’ll call it like it is, instead of playing into a false veneer of righteousness and duty. …that was a little more bitter than I intended.

It’s just, I remember it now, being twelve years old, my father’s arm over my shouldering, ushering me toward a duty I didn’t feel ready to bear. I remember shouted orders, training every day, paternal reprimands to honor the knight’s legacy I carried in my blood.

I was twelve years old when I was taken down to the dungeon to face the trial of the Royal Guard, facing a skeletal Hinox in single combat. Today, I slew that Hinox easily, pausing the beast in time with the stasis rune and summoning Urbosa’s Fury to strike an additional blow. Back then, though, I had no such assets. I was scared – the Hinox rose from the ground, rebuilding itself eerily, it’s Cyclopes-gaze yellowy wrong. But, even more than the towering skeletal monster, I was scared of failure. I was terrified of disappointing my father.

I think I disappointed him anyway, even as I struck the ending blow against the Hinox. Before the bout, I expressed my doubts, telling Father that I wasn’t ready. He reprimanded me, telling me not to speak of my fears. We are a courageous family, he said. Duty does not need words.

That’s when I stopped talking, until waking up without a memory in my head.

I know better now. I regret every word I didn’t speak, every comfort I failed to offer, every doubt and idea I kept close to my heart. I am more than just a warrior, more than just the sword on my back. My thoughts _matter_ , and they always have.

 

**Day 98**

I’ve left Hyrule castle, for now. It seems, for all that I lived and worked in the castle, it wasn’t a place that held many happy memories for me. However hard it was for me at court, the situation was much worse for Zelda.

The pressure she experienced daily – from the court, from the guard, from me, from her own father – was unbearable. For all that Zelda is incredible - a genius, a researcher, so full of compassion and zest it aches to look at her – she was also so young. We were too young; far too young to have the fate of the kingdom rest on our shoulders.

I remembered an encounter Zelda had with the Old Man, near her study. It was awful. The Old Man came to her, and I knelt and remained quiet, because that’s what I thought duty was. Zelda stood tall, represented herself with all of the grace she could, but even so the Old Man – the King – reprimanded her. He didn’t even have the courtesy to speak with Zelda in private, for all that he was concerned of gossip mongers.

No, King Rhoam addressed Zelda in public, forbidding her from the research she pursued to _help_ the kingdom where anyone could overhear. What _point_ was he trying to prove? He was her father, he should have known more than anyone how much Zelda tried and prayed and bled to access her magic.

I wish I had spoken up, that I had stopped kneeling, and stopped doing my duty to my king and started doing my duty to my friend, instead. I would have told King Rhoam of how the Champions were only gathered and piloting the Divine Beasts because of Zelda’s efforts, that the advances in technology she and the other researchers were astronomical on a scale that is nearly incomprehensible, and that if he really wanted to help Zelda access her magic he would support her instead of cutting her down.

I left Hyrule Castle, gliding from the tallest tower, over the ruins of Castle Town to the Sacred Grounds where the ceremony naming me the Hero occurred so long ago. It was awful, seeing Castle Town a collection of rubble, devoid of any movement but the patrol of the Guardians. I remember Castle Town as it was before, full of life and fountains and a fantastic blacksmith and a potter and a bakery that made the best fruitcake. I loved Castle Town in a way that I never loved the Hyrule Castle. It was where I lived with my mother, before she died and my father took me to the castle to train. The memories of have of that time, of _her_ , are vague: a smile, arms catching, a lullaby. I hope they return in time, like the more recent memories.

A hundred years ago, the Champions gathered to watch Zelda hold a ceremony where nothing was accomplished of note. I thought it was terribly important at the time, and for all that every word Zelda said was laced with sadness I clung to them, to my law-written duty with fervor, desperate to fill the role set before me.

I heard what the Champion’s whispered to each other, what Urbosa said about me, wielding the sword that seals the darkness, being like pushing all of Zelda’s failures into her face. I didn’t understand then, but I think I do now. I looked like the perfect Hero, carrying the sword that seals the darkness, felling enemies with ease.

I wasn’t. I’m so much _more_ now than I was then, in strength and spirit. I remember first drawing the sword from the pedestal, before. I failed the first time, only the Deku Tree’s intervention preventing me from dying. My father was there, too. He told me to get up, to try again. The Deku Tree warned against it, said that I wasn’t ready. The idea of disappointing my father scared me more than being killed by the Master Sword.

I drew the sword from the stone the second time, yes, but it was only by the grace of the spirit in the sword that I didn’t perish. I wasn’t ready. What would have changed, if I had had the courage to wait, to train not just my body, but my spirit? It is useless to speculate, I suppose.

I have only to free Daruk from his Divine Beast, and then – then we’ll be ready.


	13. Eldin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m probably going to engage in even more foolhardy shenanigans tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for the Eldin region and all memories. We're at the end game now, folks.
> 
> Next chapter is the last... and I haven't written it yet. I'm starting several jobs right now, so I'm setting a deadline for Sunday September 9 2018 for the last chapter before I get too busy. If I miss that, I'm sorry. It might take a bit.

Day 99

I should be more afraid of the lava than I am. It might be a problem. See, here’s the scenario. There’s a shrine in the middle of a lake of lava. The only reason I’m not on fire is because of the magical properties of ground monster pieces and rare lizard skin I’ve ingested, and even that protection is temporary. So, what do I do to reach this shrine surround by lava? Something sensible, like paraglide from a high up cliff, keeping my body far away from the fiery embrace of death? Or, more sensible, walk away and pursue this another day? No. No, what I do is jump on the metal cube that is mostly submerged in lava, then use magnesis to create a precarious bridge of metal cubes.

Utter nonsense. I’m probably going to engage in even more foolhardy shenanigans tomorrow. At least when I was on the fiery levels of the Trial of the Sword, I knew it was all on taking place in the spiritual realm and that I wasn’t in imminent danger of death by lava. My blasé approach to lava made sense then. Now, in real life? At least I didn’t try to go here first.

I activated the Eldin Tower, so now my map of Hyrule is complete. It’s incredible to look at the map, and to see how much ground I’ve covered in the past 99 days. I haven’t quite gone to every corner of Hyrule, yet, but I’ve made a lot of progress.

I’m camping for the night at a mining facility operated by Gorons. I haven’t talked much to the Gorons yet, but a Hylian was nice enough to give me a flameproof chest plate in exchange for 10 lizards, so at least now I don’t need to worry about running out of elixir.

Day 100

Have I mentioned how hot it is here yet? No? Because it’s a real problem. I checked my Sheikah Slate – it measures the temperature – and it reported “Error” because it was so unconscionably hot. If I put a slab of meat on the ground, it’s cooked within seconds, and burnt to a crisp a half-minute later.

The flame breaker armor I purchased up at Goron City does protect me from roasting to death, but it still is miserable trying to accomplish anything while the heat is so oppressive. Just because I’m not burning up doesn’t mean I’m not far too hot.

I met with the Goron Boss, Bludo. He explained to me that the weather was worse than usual here than usual because of Vah Rudania trampling around at the top of Death Mountain, and that even Gorons weren’t able to work at their usual mining spots, disrupting income in the little city.

Bludo’s been doing his best to harry Vah Rudania, but the Goron Boss is getting tired. A raging Divine Beast is a difficult foe to contend with, Goron or no. Bludo sent me out to find Yunobo, who was looking for painkillers for Bludo’s aching back.

I did manage to find Yunobo – in the middle of a pool of lava, surrounded by Lizalfos, buried beneath a rockfall. Thankfully Yunobo, for all his timidity, is a descendant of Daruk, the Goron Champion, and carries on his special skill for creating an impenetrable sphere of energy around his person.

Yunobo is doing his best to shoulder a large burden – from what I can tell, its only by literally launching Yunobo out of a canon than Bludo is able to keep Vah Rudania at bay.

The fate of Goron’s City is balanced on a knife’s edge, with a raging mechanical monster tipping the Death Mountain volcano closer and closer to eruption.

Yunobo has already rolled back to Goron City. I will return there as well, perhaps rest at the inn for a few hours, then check with Boss Bludo to see what actions can be taken to avert disaster.

Day 101

Daruk never did anything by halves. Even his statue is practically the size of a mountain. It was so big it had to be pointed out to me by Bludo.

I forgot how good of a friend Daruk was to me, before. It was the little things he did that meant – mean – the most to me. He treated me like a little brother, and while he respected me as a fellow Champion and warrior, he never looked at me and saw the sword on my back. Daruk saw me when few others could. He was solid, dependable, and in a time where the world was anticipating ruin Daruk kept the Champions grounded. I could trust Daruk to have my back, to protect me when the going got rough.

From the moment I moved into the castle to train with my father, I was expected to stand tall, alone, sword in hand. Camaraderie wasn’t encouraged, at least not for me. I was groomed to be the lone hero, not a member of a team or unit. Being a Champion – meeting Daruk and Urbosa and reconnecting with Mipha – it changed me, for the better. Every smile, every pat on the back (no matter how hard), every cockamamie facet of research, all of it gave me a sense of peace and companionship long missing in my life.

Well. I suppose that’s enough reminiscing. I’m about to speak to Yunobo, again, to tell him that Bludo won’t be going to use the cannons to harry Vah Rudania today.

It occurs to me, though, that this could be an opportunity to strike against Vah Rudania…I hesitate though. Yunobo is so young, for all that he carries the same gift of protection Daruk had. I don’t want to embroil him in such a dangerous endeavor. 

Day 102

I’m an awful friend. I shot Yunobo out of a cannon at a giant mechanical lizard dwelling on a volcano moments away from eruption. And, really, I understand why I did it. I’m on Vah Rudania now, with only one terminal left to find before I can confront what remains of Calamity Ganon here and free Daruk’s spirit…but I still feel bad. I know Yunobo agreed to this plan, and it worked, but every moment we dodged sentries on the way to the cannons I felt an immense sense of dread. What if I guide Yunobo into the view of the sentries? What if his gift of protection fails him?

I’ll apologize to Yunobo when I return to Goron City. For now, I need to focus my energy on surviving Vah Rudania. I’m trying not to think too deeply on where, exactly, I am – in the basin of Death Mountain, surrounded by lava on all sides. When I first entered the Divine Beast, there was no light at all – it was difficult to navigate. Thankfully, activating the terminal containing the map information made Vah Rudania open the shutters blocking the light.

Daruk has been a huge comfort, since I entered the Divine Beast. He said that he never doubted me for a second. I believe him. Daruk’s confidence in me and in the defeat of Calamity Ganon is of immeasurable comfort. A much more pleasant ephemeral companion than Revali, that’s for certain, even if the atmosphere leaves something to be desired.

Day 103

It’s done. All of the Divine Beasts are once again under the control of the Champions, their lasers trained directly on Ganon. I feel …light, almost. Calamity Ganon remains, true – but the road is no longer so long, and my friends’ spirits are free to support me in this.

Daruk granted me his gift of protection, to carry with me wherever I go. Even after a century trapped within a mechanical lizard, Daruk still believes in me, and seeks to protect me in whatever way he can. Oddly enough, I think Daruk’s descendent, Yunobo, managed to catch a glimpse of his spirit. For some reason I thought that I was the only one who could see the spirits of the Champions, like the Koroks, but I suppose that isn’t true.

That’s probably a sign that I should get over myself, and that I’m not the center of every legend and bit of mystic mayhem, even if it does feel like it most days.

I heard Zelda, after returning to Goron City. She commended me for freeing all of the Divine Beasts, and said that she and the Champions were ready to strike with me when the moment was right. It was incredible, hearing her voice again. That was the first time I’ve heard Zelda’s voice since I remembered everything she meant to me, remembered her smile, her enthusiasm for research, her strength even when burdened with the fate of a kingdom…

I want to storm the Sanctum in Hyrule Castle right now. But – there are still areas of my memory that are clouded to me. I want to know who I am before I face the future. There are other preparations, as well – gathering arrows, improving my armor, and so on – that I need to complete before I can face Ganon. Soon, though.

(Oh, I also got a rock steak for a hungry Goron today. It looked oddly…appetizing? For a rock?)

Day 104

I chased after Dinraal last night, hoping to liberate the beast of one of his scales. It didn’t quite work out, though – I could never quite catch up to the dragon. I saw where they emerged, so I’ll stake out that spot tonight.

More importantly – I remembered a couple more events from before. I’ve found almost all of the places Zelda took pictures of. The only remaining location is…probably the Shrine of Power? It looks similar to the Shrines of Wisdom and Courage. I remember hearing rumors that it was in central Alkala, so I’ll look there in the morning.

The first memory I found was in Eldin, on a rocky outcropping overlooking Hyrule Castle. It was the aftermath of a great battle, just Zelda and I facing a horde of enemies, from Bokoblins to Lynels. It’s incredible to think of – I hesitate to face Lynels now, even with how much I’ve grown since awakening in this century. Before though – I must have been a fierce warrior.

It’s worrisome to consider, that for all of my strength before, I couldn’t stand against Ganon. But we’re better prepared now. I have the Divine Beasts, the full power of the Master Sword, and Zelda with all of her sealing powers on my side. And, for all that it seems, day-to-day, that I cross the fields of Hyrule alone, I’m not.

For all that my friends do not travel with me – they’re there. They support me. 

There was another memory. This one…hurt. Not because of any danger or attack, but because of the opportunities missed because of my fear and inaction. Zelda and I were camped out by the Mother and Child stones near the Bridge of Hylia, sheltered from the storm. Or, more specifically, Zelda was using the shelter – I was out in the rain, swinging my sword, training like I had been told I must every day.

Zelda began to speak to me then – of how she admired my dedication to become a knight, my commitment to my training, that it seemed to her that my path mirrored my father’s. I didn’t say anything, didn’t contradict her or protest that I never wished to be like my father. I trained because it was my duty to Hyrule, that I be strong enough to protect the people.

Zelda continued to speak, and though she spoke of me, and my path, I know that truly she spoke of herself. She wondered whether if, one day, if I realized that I did not want to be a knight, but something else entirely, but everybody told me that I had be a knight because I was born into the family of the royal guard, whether I would choose a different path.

It aches to think of, the turmoil Zelda felt, desperately trying to fit into the mold of “Princess” made for her, when she wanted nothing more than to protect Hyrule using her own skills as a scholar. It makes me wonder, whether the Ancient Sheikah Technology could have been protected from Ganon’s influence if Zelda had had more time to study the devices instead of trying to access sealing magic that remained out of her reach.

I suppose I shouldn’t dwell overmuch on the past.

Belay that. I wish I had spoken to Zelda, then, of my own struggles to assume the role of hero. Of how my own father pushed me onto this path, never having a moment to truly consider any other life than that of warrior and hero. Maybe it could have given her some comfort to know that I didn’t know how to be the chosen hero, much as she didn’t know how to be the Princess her father expected her to be.

I’ll tell her now, after we defeat Calamity Ganon, if she wants to hear it.

I wonder who I would be, if I weren’t a hero or warrior. I enjoy traveling, exploring Hyrule, unearthing secrets long forgotten. I’ve gotten quite clever with my recipes, lately – I made a fruitcake the other day. I love riding Inogo. 

Maybe I could be a traveling chef? That could be fun.

Day 105

I feel…invigorated, after visiting the Spring of Power. I’ve spent most of the day seeking out Lynels to face in single combat. After all, if I could face them Before, surely I can now. It turns out, Lynels aren’t terribly difficult opponents to face, if you have the right equipment. The trick is to get inside their guard, dodge their attacks, and strike in that moment where they leave their guard open. It’s extra exciting when you actually manage to mount the Lynel – then it’s possible to get in a lot of blows before the beast bucks you off.

The tough thing about Lynels is that their attacks hurt when they land. If I didn’t have Mipha’s Grace helping me out, I’d probably be toast.

I remembered visiting the Spring of Power, Before. Princess Zelda went there frequently, praying and praying and trying to activate her sealing magic. It’s a tough thing to remember. I felt like an intruder, then, on a deeply private moment, for all that it was my duty to guard Zelda. It would feel wrong to write of it here.

Day 106

One hundred days ago, I visited Blatchery Plain, looked upon the field of defunct of broken Guardians, and thought that a great battle must have taken place then. I knew so little then. Of myself, of this world, it was all made new to me. I looked at Impa, and saw only stranger. Today, I looked into Impa’s elderly visage and remembered the fierce warrior and scholar she was, remembered the trust and confidence Zelda placed in her.

Impa directed me to go here, to the Blatchery Plain, to recall the end of the first part of my life. I haven’t found the place where I fell, yet. I’ve ridden amongst the remains of the Guardians for hours, scouring for the one place where every moment will flood my mind as if it had always been there – but it hasn’t come yet. Perhaps I’m scared to remember.

No, no equivocations. I’m terrified. I see the scars on my body, now, and even after a hundred years in the Shrine of Resoration, they still look awful. I don’t want to remember failing Zelda, leaving her to seal Ganon alone.

But I need to remember. I owe it to myself, and to Zelda. I’ll search once there is light in the sky again. For now, I will accept what comfort Inogo can give me.

Day 107

I remember everything from my life Before. Not perfectly, of course, but its all there – every facet of my earlier personality, the friends I made, the trials and adventures I faced with Zelda. I’m not the same person that I was then, though. Awakening again helped me find a truer version of myself, in a way, without the influence of my father or my duties to the Royal Family.

Not to say that I’m not loyal to Zelda, or that I don’t respect King Rhoam – but I have a distance from my position as a guard, now. I can see where we went astray in our plans to defeat Ganon, placing duty and tradition over people.

I suppose I’m just trying to distract myself from my last memory. I was dying, all strength leaving my limbs, visions of Hyrule Castle and Castle Town engulfed in flames haunting my thoughts. The only impulse that kept me moving was the need to protect Zelda, to keep that single flame of hope alive, to preserve the life of the person I love. 

On the Blatchery Plain a cohort of Guardian’s cornered us. I readied my sword, though I did not have the strength to wield it. I felt the gaze of the Guardian settle on my breast. Zelda told me to run, to save myself. We both knew that wouldn’t happen.

I heard the tell-tale sound of the Guardian’s laser charging, and knew that I had only seconds left to me. I sent a prayer to the Goddess to protect Zelda when I could not. Then Zelda flipped the script. She stepped forward, wreathed in golden light, and expelled the foul spirit of Ganon from the Guardian’s with a wave of her hand.

I’ve never felt such pride and relief as in that moment. The goal Zelda had so desperately sought, that had remained just out of reach was now in her hands. She was a wonder, a being of light in a world wreathed in darkness.

Beyond that, my memory is fuzzy at best. I collapsed, I think, the desperate adrenaline that had kept me on my feet until that moment running dry. I remember Zelda’s face, kind and worried – and then I woke up, in the Shrine of Resurrection, one hundred years later.

I’m ready to face Calamity Ganon. I’ve spent the day purchasing arrows, cooking healthy meals, visiting the leaders of the peoples of Hyrule to tell them of my intentions. If something goes awry, they deserve to have some warning, at least. 

Prince Sidon gave me a big hug, and offered to help in this final battle. I gently refused him. If I fail, Hyrule will need Sidon’s strength.

I’m spending the night with Brigo, my first friend in Hyrule. I don’t know what I would have done without his help and advice, in those early days. I’ve spent hours talking to him, about my fears, my many identity problems, the cadre of travelers he meets while guarding the bridge.

“You’re ready,” Brigo said. “Now you just need to believe it.” 

I’ll try. Brigo is keeping watch for the night. In the morning, I will go face Ganon, with the light of dawn at my back.


	14. Hyrule, and Proxim Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle.

Day 110

Here I am, three days later. I’m sitting by Brigo’s fire again, but so much has changed. I’ll start at the beginning.

Calamity Ganon was an entity of wild malice, a beast in the truest sense of the word, though not without his own terrible cunning. I first came across him bound on the physical plane as a beating heart suspended in the once-holy inner sanctum of Hyrule Castle. Zelda’s essence lay in the center of that mockery of a living heart, binding Ganon’s being to the castle.

As soon as I entered the Sanctum, Ganon tore loose from his spiritual bonds, crumbling the floor beneath and dropping us both into a pit below Hyrule Castle. I do not know what purpose this pit once served, but in this era it acted as the battleground between Ganon and the Champions of Hyrule.

Before Ganon could fully gather his bearing, the Champions launched a devastating laser attack from atop their Divine Beasts, with four massive beams of light converging on Hyrule Castle and piercing Calamity Ganon. My friends got the opportunity to avenge their deaths a century past. 

And in that pit, I faced the Calamity. Ganon, the beast whose malevolence tore apart the country I love, who struck me and countless others down a century past. The beast glowed a violent purple red, wielding weapons of Guardian blue. Ganon was a spidery beast, with limbs sprouting where they would not belong on any creature formed by the Goddesses. Worst of all was the face planted in the center of the creature, resembling that of a man, but not, bearing no expression but a fiery anger, framed by a mane of blood-red hair.

It was my turn to attack, an act easier said than put into action. I fought Ganon for a whole day, in that pit. For every strike I landed on Ganon, the beast returned another, and at every moment that I thought I broke through its defenses, Ganon retreated and restored his strength. The only way to deliver enough consecutive strikes against Ganon was to reflect the Guardian lasers back at it with my shield, a tricky prospect at the best of times.

I would never have triumphed without the blessings of the other Champions. Daruk’s Protection guarded me when Ganon struck, Mipha’s Grace restored me when I faltered, and Urbosa’s Fury struck Ganon when he was otherwise invulnerable.

It was morning again when I struck the final blow against Ganon, slashing the Master Sword across his foul visage. Ganon spurted grotesque rivers of inky black blood, his malformed limbs thrashing wildly. Then, he burst into burgundy flame, dispersing his essence into a purplish fog.

I remember hoping, then, that it was over. But I did not sheathe my sword, because I knew that hope would not win true. 

Ganon’s essence dispersed, leaving the castle behind and reforming in the fields of central Hyrule. I, too, was transported to the fields, but by more wholesome means.

Zelda addressed me then. I remember, even with my limbs leaden with exhaustion and another battle before me, that I was glad to hear Zelda’s voice. She manifested a weapon of great power, the Bow of Light. I think it’s in my pack now, actually. I should probably put that somewhere safe. Inogo, my faithful horse, was delivered to my side as well.

Zelda spoke of Ganon, of how he had given up on reincarnation and was now only an unthinking beast bent upon the destruction of the world. Sweet Hylia, I’m smitten. Zelda could deliver the direst news of the world and I would still simply be happy to hear from her.

I set forth to battle, though really it was Inogo and Zelda doing the heavy lifting. I just had to flip off of Inogo’s back and fire an Arrow of Light at the weak spot Zelda exposed in Ganon’s hide. The difficult bit lay in circumnavigating Ganon’s hulking form. He was massive, easily as large as an entire town and spouting flames several horse-lengths in width. Any vestige of humanity Ganon bore before was gone, now, leaving only wrath.

At the end, Zelda seized upon Ganon’s weakness and laid bare the core of Ganon’s being. Ganon attempted a final attack, nearly searing Inogo and I with a torrent of purple flames. We evaded the flames though, and when they dispersed I took advantage of the updraft left behind. Paraglider in hand, I soared over Calamity Ganon. Faster than time, I drew forth the Bow of Light and released a single glowing arrow and pierced the lone, fiery eye.

An orb of glowing light emerged from within the light, and it was Zelda, looking as she had a hundred years prior, an epicenter of golden light. Ganon and Zelda regarded each other. I do not know what passed between them, at that moment, but I can imagine Zelda’s resolve.

Ganon circled back, reduced to a phantom, and charged Zelda. Glowing brighter than the sun, Zelda countered his attack, manifesting a sphere of light that engulfed Ganon entirely. 

And in that moment, I felt the world changed, as if the poison that had once festered within Hyrule had been drawn out, leaving only healthy flesh behind.

The darkness left the sky, leaving it blue and clear. I looked over the green fields and I saw Zelda, still clad in the white linen she wore a hundred years ago. She spoke of how she watched over my struggles, and how she never stopped believing in me. She called me a hero.

And that was all wonderful, my heart was overfull, but I worried in that moment perhaps that was all I was to Zelda, the hero.

I needn’t have worried, because that moment passed and fell into another one, where Zelda looked sheepish, and perhaps a little nervous, and asked “Do you remember me?”

And, well, that broke open the floodgates, because I ran to her and we embraced and I spoke in an incomprehensible rush about how much I missed her and her research and wow, magic, that was incredible, and how sorry I was and about how excited I was for her to meet Brigo.

We pulled back enough to see the other’s face, though we still clasped the other close, desperate to make sure that this moment, this After, was real.

Zelda looked at me, and there was a smile on her face. “You’re speaking, Link,” she said, a joyous laugh in her voice.

I fumbled a little, explaining that I forgot about my vow of silence, and how once I remembered it didn’t seem all that important anymore.

“I love it,” Zelda spoke with fierceness and sincerity.

We stood there for a time, speaking and laughing and sharing and holding close, until Inogo trotted close like the excellent horse he is. I fed him an apple as a thank you for facing Ganon. Zelda and I, reminded of our own hunger, feasted on Pumpkin Stew and a Fruit Cake.

Zelda and I spoke then of what to do next, because there were both a hundred things to do and nothing. As in all times of crisis, I asked myself what Brigo would do. I couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer, so I decided that it would be best to consult the man himself.

I proposed this plan to Zelda, who acquiesced sleepily. After consuming our little feast, and with the adrenaline of battle and reuniting behind us, we were both very weary. We both mounted Inogo, who took off at a gentle trot.

It was not long before Zelda fell asleep in the saddle. I was hard-pressed to remain awake myself. 

Dusk had fallen into twilight by the time we reached Proxim bridge, and saw Brigo coaxing the merry flames of his little campfire. 

He smiled as we approached. “You did it,” he said. “I knew you would.” He looked at Zelda, who was stirring awake. “And that’s Princess Zelda?” I nodded my assent, and helped her dismount.

“Zelda will suffice,” Zelda interjected. “Any friend of Link’s is a friend of mine.”

Brigo must have said something in response, but I cannot recall what his words could have been. With Zelda safe and under the protection of a trusted friend, I slept.

I woke up this morning and the sun was shining bright and Zelda and Brigo were seated near the fire, thick as thieves sharing stories and telling tales.

We ate breakfast together, and I think soon we will eat lunch. I’m excited to cook – I couldn’t Before, and now I can. 

We’ve decided what to do next. Zelda and I will travel to all of the different lands and towns of Hyrule. We will reunite with old friends and make some new, and embrace Hyrule as it is now.

The future is not certain, and the scar of all that was lost will linger long in this land and in our hearts. But Hyrule is no longer shrouded in darkness, and whatever new challenges we face, we will face together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you all for reading this story! I am endlessly grateful for all of your kind words and kudos. Thank you for embarking on this journey, it was a real joy.
> 
> While I have a little attention, if you have the means and access, please register to vote!
> 
> And a final note, Link did not do a couple side quests during this main adventure...namely the White Horse, the house in Hateno Village, and Tarrey Town. My hope is, when I have time (maybe December?), to play through those side quests and journal them, but with Zelda as a co-adventurer. It would be added to this text as an epilogue. 
> 
> Once again, thank you!


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